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The Laughing Bear 





























































































































The Laughing Bear 

And Other Stories 


By 

ROBERT B. H. BELL, M. A. 



NEW YORK 
ROBERT J. SHORES 
PUBLISHER 



Copyright, 1917, 
ROBERT J. SHORES. 


DEC 17 1917 


©CI.A479551 


DEDICATION. 


To the children of St. Mark’s Church, Seattle, whose 
interest in these stories, told many years ago, was the inspir- 
ation that brought them to life. May they prove to other 
children the same joy. And so to them this book is lovingly 
dedicated by 


The Author. 


/ 


/ 


CONTENTS 


The Laughing Bear Page 1 5 

The Gray Witch Page 34 

Mr. Rooster Page 54 

The Mid-Earth People Page 61 

The Black Hus Page 78 

The Leviathan Page 96 

The Brown Friar Page 1 09 


























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„ ■ • 









































The Laughing Bear 


«r 


THE LAUGHING BEAR— 

or 

MOUWOU THE DELIVERER. 


S LONG time ago at Seoul, the capital of 
Korea (now under the control of 
Japan) , lived a king and queen who had 
a little daughter called Chonwa. 

The little princess grew in the sunshine of her 
parents’ love, until she reached the age of eight. 
Then it was announced that, according to the cus- 
tom of her country, her betrothal was to be ar- 
ranged by the state. The mother led her into the 
beautiful garden and tried to show the perplexed 
girl why the rules of the court required that a king’s 
child should be married for the sake of the country. 

So fixed were their minds on this subject, that 
neither of them noticed a dark, fierce-looking man 
creeping after them. None but a very bold man 
would have dared come thus into the king’s private 
grounds. He followed with fierce glances every 
movement of the innocent pair. When the queen 
and her child sat down on a bench to watch a turtle- 


15 


The Laughing Bear — 

dove drink at the fountain, the man crawled to- 
ward them with a long knife in his teeth. He was 
almost upon them, when the queen happened to 
see him. Before she could even cry for help, the 
ruffian stabbed her twice. 

Courageously, the little princess sprang upon 
the man and scratched his face. He drew back 
from the unexpected attack, then rushed at the de- 
fiant little maiden, seized her by the waist, and car- 
ried her off in his arms. 

Just as he reached the gate, he was stopped by 
an encounter that he little expected — he found 
himself face to face with an ugly, grinning bear. 

The man placed his frightened burden on the 
ground, then reached for his bloody knife, and 
sprang at the huge bear. The bear sat up, still 
grinning. When the man came near enough, she 
struck him such a blow on the head that he went 
sprawling to the ground, and the knife flew out of 
his hand. 

The man lay where he had fallen, with his ash- 
en face turned toward the setting sun. Bruin 
waddled over to him and pushed him with her nose 
to see if he would move. He showed no sign of 
life. Then the bear turned and tried to pull the 
princess by the sleeve toward the palace. Chonwa 


16 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 

was not at all afraid of her rescuer and followed 
her willingly. 

They had not gone far when they were met by 
the king’s guards, who came rushing toward them 
in frantic haste. The child hesitated between them 
and her rescuer, but when the captain laid hold of 
her, the bear turned and trotted away. 

Chonwa told her father and his court of the 
attack and the rescue, but only the guard believed 
the bear part of the tale; and when, after a long 
hunt, no trace of bear or robber was found, the 
king dropped the whole affair. 

The queen mother had a long illness, from 
which her recovery was hastened by the sight of 
her darling daughter, whom she had given up as 
lost. 

The princess never forgot her shaggy deliv- 
erer, but looked daily for her return. Time passed 
rapidly at the court, and it did not seem long till 
four years had rolled away. By this time, accord- 
ing to the custom of her nation, Chonwa, though 
only twelve years old, was considered ready for 
marriage. 

She w as taken into the inner palace and cloth- 
ed like a woman. A hateful “chan-ot" or veil was 
put over her face so that boys could not see her. 


17 


The Laughing Bear — 

Her only playmate was a harsh old governess who 
scolded her all the time, so that poor Chonwa often 
wished herself dead. 

Among her former boy friends was a young 
prince, whom Chonwa considered her best play- 
mate. One day she stole from the palace, unseen 
by her governess, and met this boy-prince whose 
name was Mousan. They were found out, and 
two days later the young prince was banished and 
Chonwa was betrothed to a sixty year old prince, 
whom she had never seen. Her protests were all 
in vain, for it was considered an honorable mar- 
riage arranged by the state for the benefit of the 
people of Korea. Imagine Chonwa’ s misery when 
she beheld her bethrothed. His name was Ham- 
kieng, which made one think of “dead pig." He 
looked like a pig, too, and snored loudly even in 
the daytime, when he was not being amused. 
When he walked he waddled like a very fat porker. 
Chonwa cried for days, but she could not stop the 
marriage arrangements, and at last the wedding 
day arrived. 

The palace was beautifully decorated, and the 
guests were all assembled. Just as the king gave 
the command for the ceremony to begin, a loud 
growl was heard coming from the entrance. The 


18 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 


priest stopped his preparations and fled. No won- 
der, for at that instant came into the room the great 
bear, Chonwa’s friend! The queen fainted, and 
the king in trying to help her stumbled headlong 
over her. Prince Hammie — so they called him 
at the court — drawing his sword, made an awk- 
ward thrust at the beast, who raised a great paw, 
and smote him on the head, rolling him over and 
over like a barrel. By this time the company 
had scattered and hid! 

The princess was delighted to see her old 
friend, and she gave Bruin a tight hug. The guests, 
venturing from their hiding-places, were more as- 
tonished than before. Still more were they amaz- 
ed to see Chonwa bestride the grinning bear and 
ride out of the palace! Out into the garden she 
rode, past the soldiers, down the busy street and 
into a neighboring forest. 

The king and queen were wild with grief, and 
the unlucky Hammie, chagrined at his bride’s es- 
cape, bit his long finger nails. A reward was of- 
fered for the head of the old bear, and the hand of 
the princess was promised to the young man who 
should bring Chonwa safely home. 

Meanwhile, as Chonwa dismounted in the for- 
est, she became aware of a young man coming to- 


19 


The Laughing Bear — 

ward her. He was dressed in white and carried a 
black broad-brimmed hat. Chonwa at once rec- 
ognized Mousan, the banished prince! 

“1 cannot tell you," said the prince, "how 
thankful I am to find you; 1 have waited all these 
months wondering what had become of you!" 

Bruin gathered the two thankful children in 
her arms and, opening her mouth, began to talk. 

"My dear Chonwa," she began, "I have come 
to bring you to a land more beautiful than any, 
you have ever imagined, where play is as work 
and work is as play. We shall proceed to the 
Eastern mountains and then trace the beauti- 
ful river Nak-tong-kang to the sea, finally to settle 
down in a wonderful home by ourselves." 

But her words of comfort were interrupted by 
the appearance of a funny-looking fat man. His 
eyebrows were so long that he had them braided, 
and they hung over his ears like spectacles. Be- 
tween his thumb and finger he held a highly pol- 
ished stone. He explained that he was Hu-Mok, 
the Stone Doctor, who could cure all diseases. 

The bear growled, but Chonwa begged the 
Stone Doctor to cure her eyes, which had been 
weakened from wearing the veil. Whereupon he 
slapped his knees and held the stone before |ier 


20 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 


gaze. Suddenly the girl felt a peculiar dizziness. 
She felt her eyes getting larger and larger, and 
the Doctor kept getting bigger and bigger — and 
then she knew no more; she had fainted. 

Mousan caught her as she fell, and the bear lift- 
ed her right paw and smote the Doctor a heavy 
blow. He went sprawling to the grass and his 
stone lodged in a nearby tree. It took some time 
to revive the girl. 

Meanwhile, the Doctor had recovered suffi- 
ciently to sit up. He was a pitiful-looking object. 
His eyes were bloodshot and his hair stood up as if 
he had had a bad dream. 4 ‘Oh, give me my stone ! 
Oh, give me my precious stone! “Oh!" moaned the 
doleful old quack. 

Mouwou growled, showing her great white 
teeth and raising her terrible paw, at which he be- 
came silent. 

But so angered was Mousan by the false Doc- 
tor’s wicked trick, that he rushed upon him, grab- 
bed his eyebrow whiskers, and dragged him off 
howling. 

Scarcely had the two disappeared from view 
of the others, than the quack sprang like a tiger 
upon the young prince and bore him to the ground ; 


2 ! 


The Laughing Bear — 

then he placed his hand upon the boy’s mouth to 
prevent him from yelling for help. 

“Now!” hissed the furious Hu-Mok, who was 
twice as strong as any ordinary man, “I shall teach 
you a thing or two!” Mousan struggled to escape, 
but the strong one planted a heavy foot on his 
neck and kept it there till he was senseless. Cau- 
tiously the villain looked around lest some one 
should see, then dragged his victim to his den. 

When the princess had revived completely, the 
bear persuaded her to mount her back again. Bruin 
at this time had not guessed that there was any- 
thing wrong with her other charge; so when the 
princess asked her where Mousan was, she merely 
replied that he had gone to punish the Doctor. 

They had not gone very far when they saw a 
snake charming a little bird. The bird could not 
move from its perch, but stood screaming and flap- 
ping its wings in terror. The old bear rushed at the 
reptile and struck it a deadly blow. At once the 
grateful bird flew to its rescuers. It perched upon 
the shoulder of the girl and rubbed its smooth fea- 
thers against her cheek, while the snake wiggled 
away to die. 

So this queer trio passed through the woods, 
the bird on Chonwa’s shoulder and the girl on the 


22 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 


bear* e back. They were suprised and delighted 
when they came to a little thatched shanty on 
which was a sign with the words, “Rest for the 
Weary.” 

“Do let us rest here till Mousan catches up!” 
begged eager Chonwa. She dismounted, ap- 
proached the house, and peered in. There she 
saw, to her delight, a beautiful woman lying on 
a couch reading. 

She knocked gently and the woman came out 
smiling, and holding a glass of wine. Chonwa 
was very thirsty but when she was about to take 
the drink, the woman opened her mouth, and be- 
hold, a cloven tongue darted out! 

Chonwa dropped the glass and fled in fear. 

The woman was the serpent come to life again. 
The instant Chonwa saw her mistake the woman 
changed back into the snake and began to pursue 
her. 

The bear was some distance away and so could 
not help her charge. The snake was almost upon 
the princess, when the little bird flew with all its 
strength against the open mouth of the reptile. By 
flapping its tiny wings in the serpent’s eyes, the 
bird prevented it from biting. But the frail res- 
cuer received the blow intended for Chonwa, and 


23 


The Laughing Bear — 

fell to the ground in great agony, though it was 
not seen by the others. 

Mouwou quickly arrived at the scene of dan- 
ger. Angry as fire, she smote the snake a terrible 
blow on the head, crushing it. Then, unable to 
find the gallant bird, the two went on. 

Finally they came to a very pretty resting place 
by a brook that gurgled and sang a sweet song all 
day and all night. Like a good mother, the bear 
placed the tired girl on a patch of moss and sang 
her to sleep. 

When Chonwa awoke she was much refreshed, 
and at once inquired about Mousan. 

The bear, too, had been worrying about the 
prince. To the princess she said: “Do not be 
afraid — I’ll go in search of him. Stay right in this 
spot, and do not believe everything that you hear.’’ 
So saying, she lumbered out of sight. 

No sooner had the bear-mother gone than the 
little wounded bird came crawling toward the 
maid. “I am dying, dear friend,’’ it sobbed, “and 
I want to see you before 1 go. You have been so 
good to me!” Then the bird’s voice became faint, 
and its eyes opened wide as in a death-stare. 

“Oh! Oh!” sobbed Chonwa. “You must not 
die! You saved my life.” But the bird was past 


24 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 


saving, for the poison was doing its work quickly. 

At that instant, a voice was heard calling 
sweetly: “Mushrooms! Mushrooms! Sure cure 
for all diseases. This way, gentle girl. I can help 
you. See how delicious.” 

Chonwa saw a strange little humpbacked man. 
He was scarcely three feet tall. His face looked 
old, but his voice was like that of a little choir-boy. 
In a dish he carried about a dozen mushrooms. 
They were hot and had been roasted in butter and 
salt, and they filled the air with a fragrance that 
made Chonwa’ s mouth water. 

But she, remembering how the woman had 
fooled her, was afraid. 

“Who are you?” demanded Chonwa. 

“I am a great cook,” said the man, bowing low. 
“I have cooked for your father many a time. You 
have tasted my dishes before. I am now cooking 
for the queen of the forest. See, princess, just 
try it on that little bird. My cooking acts like medi- 
cine.” 

With Chonwa’s consent, he thrust a little par- 
ticle down the bird’s throat. The bird revived in- 
stantly and stood up and chirruped with delight. 

Nevertheless, the mushrooms were poison. The 
hunchback was Mikado, the snake-woman’s slave, 


25 


The Laughing Bear — 

and the mushrooms were the wicked woman turn- 
ed into food. As poison cures poison, the poisoned 
mushrooms had acted as an antidote and the bird 
was saved. But the child not knowing the laws 
of chemistry, believed that the mushrooms were 
good food, as well as fine medicine, so she helped 
herself to the appetizing dainties. Soon she felt 
drowsy and laid herself down. The hunchback 
kicked his heels in the air and danced with joy. “1 
am saved I’* he shouted. He had been promised a 
straight back, such as he had before he followed 
the evil woman, if he could succeed in destroying 
one life. 

“Ha, ha! My back will soon be straight,” he 
sang out. “Ha! Am I not clever? Already I feel 
my hump getting — !“ 

“Straight!” growled Mouwou, who at that mo- 
ment appeared. Her tongue hung out, red with 
heat, and her breast was covered with flaked foam. 
Her eyes blazed fire and her voice sounded like the 
rumbling of thunder. 

The cook’s tune of mirth was instantly changed 
to wails for mercy. His hair stood on end, hia 
jaws relaxed, and his eyes almost swelled out. 

“Yes!” said the bear. “I’ll straighten you, mis- 


26 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 


erable cook!’’ She lifted her huge paw and brought 
it down with terrible force upon the hump. 

* ‘Ouch ! Ouch !” yelled the dancer, as his hump 
pushed through and thrust out before him. He was 
hump-chested now! 

“There!” said the bear. “Henceforth, you’ll 
follow your hump. You won’t have to carry it on 
your back any more!” 

While Mouwou was dealing with the cook, the 
little bird was furiously picking at Chonwa’s swol- 
len neck. She picked and picked until a hole was 
made in the skin. Immediately a snake ran out 
and disappeared in the grass. Mouwou turned 
to the princess and began to scratch her arm. Sev- 
eral snakes fell out and the bear killed them. 
Again and again she scratched, till more than 
twenty snakes had come out and been killed. 

The princess was soon entirely well. As it 
was growing dark, the mother made a cozy bed of 
leaves and bade her good night. With a prayer 
for the safety of Mousan. Chonwa fell asleep. 

In the morning, just before they started on 
their hunt, the bird took a little flight to exercise 
its wings. It returned with the information that 
the hunchback was lying not far away in much 
pain. Following the bird, Chonwa and the bear 


27 


The Laughing Bear — 

found the hunchback rolling on the ground, appar- 
ently too weak to stand. He thought his head had 
been twisted round, because he could see his hump, 
a thing he never could do before! He had spent 
the greater part of the night in rolling over and 
over trying to twist his head so that the back would 
be where the face was. When he saw the bear, 
he begged her to untwist him. 

“I’ll twist your pin-head for you, you rascal,” 
she said, “if that is all that you want!” 

So saying, with one wrench she turned his 
face around till he was really looking backward. 

The man rose to his feet with great difficulty 
and proceeded to walk, but to his astonishment 
he walked backward. His feet went the usual 
way, but as his head was looking backward, he 
could not see where he was going, and he bumped 
into a tree. He tried to walk the way his nose 
pointed and he fell again and again. At last he 
gave it up and sat down. 

He was more confused than ever to find him- 
self buckling up in the way opposite to that to 
which he had been accustomed. Finally, down 
he went as his body would have it, and he found 
his nose against the tree instead of the back of his 
head. Sobbing loudly, he took his head in his 


28 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 


hands and wept tears down the back of his neck. 

“Oh, dear bear, cure me!” he moaned, “1 am 
a miserable sinner and 1 deserve it all! But please 
give me a chance, and I shall do better in the 
future! Never again shall 1 associate with that 
snake woman! Never! I want to be good!” This 
was the very thing that the bear wanted, for it was 
very hard for her to seem so cruel to one in such 
pain. 

The little princess, who had been crying, nod- 
ded approvingly at the bear, who immediately 
caught the man in her arms and righted his head to 
the proper place. Then she laid him on the ground 
and with one great whack made him a straight man 
again. 

The wicked snake-woman had bent him in 
making him do her bidding. Now that he was 
well, he became a convert to the new life, and was 
added to the company of three. He volunteered 
to guide them to the house where the Doctor lived. 

They started none too soon to look for Mousan, 
who at that time lay bound in a horrible den some 
distance off. After the quack had deposited the 
prince in his own cave, he went in search of his 
precious stone, which he quickly found. He re- 
turned in great glee to the cave. Entering, he sat 


29 


The Laughing Bear — 


on a low stool facing the boy, who was bound so 
that he could not move. 

The Doctor then called for his pipe, and a hor- 
rid lizard crawled toward him with the pipe in its 
mouth. Then the man called loudly for his tobac- 
co, and a great turtle crawled forward with it on 
his back. 

Slowly the Doctor filled his pipe and lighted it. 
At the first puff his mouth was filled with dirt from 
the foul pipe, and he jumped in the air, yelling 
loudly. He landed on the turtle and slipped. In 
his anger, he kicked the lizard and jumped again 
and again upon the turtle’s back, at which the tur- 
tle seized him by the leg. It was a grand mix- 
up for a few minutes. The prince could not help 
laughing, and once started he laughed till the tears 
rolled down his face. 

Finally the Doctor freed himself from the tur- 
tle and rushed to the boy. 

“You are laughing, eh!” he exclaimed, shak- 
ing his fist at Mousan. “I shall soon have you 
silenced!” 

From his pocket he took his polished stone, 
which he placed in the prince’s mouth. In a few 
minutes the boy was completely paralyzed. With 
eyes wide open and his hearing gone, he lay rigid 
all night. 


30 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 


At break of day the quack came to his side and 
said: “Young man, I have made up my mind to 
teach you my art — on one condition. My work 
on earth is to make all men as miserable as pos- 
sible. When I see a man at the height of his am- 
bition, I step in and compel him to make a fool of 
himself, and down and out he goes. Ha! If I can- 
not ruin him that way, I tell something nasty about 
him to some deluded soul, who spreads the news 
to the mob, and presto! my man is done for. 
Again, I like to throw a microbe into the stomach 
of a healthy person and watch him squirm. 
Come, join me and I will teach you the art of the 
magic stone.” 

Freed from the spell, at the Doctor’s will, the 
boy sat up and stretched his arms. But he shook 
his head to the proposal. 

“Very well, then!” said the angry quack. Then 
he fastened about the prince’s neck a chain at- 
tached to a pole, and left the cave. 

At once a great swarm of ants came running 
toward the boy. He fought them off till he fell ex- 
hausted to the floor, his body covered with the 
nipping insects. The pain of a thousand bites 
made him feel that his end was near, and he closed 
his eyes, praying for death. 


3 ! 


The Laughing Bear — 

The quack came again and offered him free- 
dom, if he would become one of his followers. The 
prince made no reply; so his tormentor sat down 
to enjoy the sight of his dying victim. 

Suddenly the cave was darkened. The Doc- 
tor turned and saw the bear! Staggering to his 
feet, he fled to an inner recess. Like a flash the 
bear rushed over the ants, freed the boy from his 
chains, carried him out, placed him upon the green 
grass, and began to lick his wounds. 

In a few moments the prince opened his eyes, 
and upon the arrival of the princess and the little 
man, he was smiling. Water was brought from 
a nearby stream and Mikado washed Mousan’s 
body and limbs. 

“Mikado,” said the bear, “I am going to find 
the quack and get his magic stone. Please look 
after things while I am gone. I’ll cure the boy with 
the rascal’s magic!** 

In a few minutes the bear returned, holding in 
her paw the glistening stone. “Now,*’ said she, 
“let all wish that the prince may become well 
again; and you, my dear Mousan, look at this 
stone. 

They did so and Mousan recovered immedi- 
ately. The poor boy could scarcely believe that 


32 


or Mouwou the Deliverer 

he was well again and that his dear Chonwa was 
with him. 

Then Mouwou gathered the children in her fur- 
ry embrace. 

“I am glad to have both of you alive with me 
this day, and that I can speak to you now knowing 
that you will understand. Obedience is the law 
of all creation, and he that disobeys will come to 
a very bad end. All the pain that you have wit- 
nessed, and some that you have endured, has come 
from disobedience to the law of kindness. But 
we shall forget the past and only think of the 
future I have the Doctor’s stone, and by this we 
shall be able to undo all the evil conjured up by 
that miserable fellow. The man himself I marked 
with a ”Q,” meaning quack, so that all who see 
him may know the truth. Come, let us be going 
to the great South Country.” 

The four picked up the trail and proceeded to 
the Land of Sunshine and Joy, ever obedient ta 
the old bear. 

The prince and the princess were married 
when they grew up, and lived very happily to ripe 
old age; and the rest of the story you will find 
written in the annals of Korea. 


33 


THE GRAY WITCH 


a city of which you all know the name 
r \\ lives a little girl who formerly was very 
naughty but now behaves much better 
than she did. This little girl was very 
beautiful, which made it seem all the more sad 
that she ever wets naughty. 

One day she was particularly bad and would 
do nothing to please anybody. She wanted to be 
petted, waited upon, and humored all the time. 
She fretted and whined so much, that when even- 
ing came, her mother was no longer able to endure 
her behavior, and sent her to bed immediately after 
supper. 

As she lay dozing in her little cot, she remem- 
bered that she had not said her prayers. She would 
not get out of bed to say them, but muttered in a 
peevish voice: “I wish that God would punish all 
the wicked people I know! But there’s no use 
praying anyway!” 

No sooner had little Polly uttered these words, 
than a light flashed upon her astonished eyes. She 



34 


The Gray Witch 


sat up in bed and gazed in horror. Coming toward 
her was an old, stooped, wild-eyed woman, dress- 
ed in gray and carrying a big stick. 

Polly tried to scream, but her voice seemed no 
louder than the sqeak of a mouse. Then she tried 
to get out of bed and run to her mother, but could 
not move a foot, nor even a finger. Meanwhile the 
hag came nearer, and as she approached she grew 
more ugly. 

Polly was already nearly dead with terror ; yet 
what did the old woman do but reach her heavy 
hand and lift the child by her hair right out of bed ! 
Then the frightful hag let her fall upon the floor, 
gave her a hideous look, and sharply commanded : 
“Follow me, pouter!” 

In vain did Polly try to resist. Clad only in 
her nightdress, she followed her unwelcome guide 
out of the house. The night was cold, and the 
streets were muddy. After they had tramped about 
for a while, the witch stooped lower than ever and 
made Polly bestride her back; then she flew with 
her little rider to the Mountains. Here the hag 
stopped, and placing the child on the ground, com- 
manded her to wish. 

Poor Polly was afraid to speak. 

“Ask! Ask!” the witch kept repeating, as she 


35 


The Gray Witch 

stood over Polly, shaking her long bony hand at 
her. “1 give you five minutes to decide! Going — go- 
ing — gone!” 

At the last word the old woman clapped her 
hands together, making sparks fly. 

Polly screamed with terror: “I only want to 
be good! Please!” 

Then, for a long time, Polly remembered no 
more. Everything became dark, and she thought 
she was getting smaller and smaller, until sudden- 
ly she became a pin-point and pricked herself, as if 
she had been somebody else! 

“Oh!” she exclaimed as she came to herself 
again. She looked about, and saw beautiful moun- 
tains all around. The valley in which she lay was 
green with grass and glowing with beautiful wild 
flowers. Not far off she could see a clear, spark- 
ling river. She was clad in a new and lovely pink 
frock with stockings and shoes to match. What did 
it all mean ? 

The sun was already high in midheaven. As 
far as Polly’s eyes could see, the scenery was en- 
trancing. Birds sang in the branches, and squirrels 
ran to Polly and begged for nuts. 

Then she heard the shout of little children, and 
saw twenty or more youngsters frolicking in a near 
meadow. 


36 


The Gray Witch 


When the children saw her they ran to meet 
her and made her very welcome. Soon she became 
quite at home among them. 

Finally a little boy named Harry pointed with 
his finger; “See, it is dinner-time!” he said. 

Polly looked where the boy pointed and was 
astonished to see a tall, stately clock- tower, rising 
high above all the mountains. The hands of the 
clock pointed to twelve. 

“Oh! Oh!” exclaimed Polly. “Isn’t it grand? 
Why didn’t I notice it before?” 

“Because,” said Harry, “you were playing and 
not thinking about time.” 

At that instant the clock struck twelve. Then 
it chimed forth a sweet chant, more beautiful than 
anything that Polly ever had heard. It made her 
feel as though she were in heaven. But being still 
a child of earth, she clapped her hands and scam- 
pered off with the other children to the tower. 

“How often, Harry,, does that clock chime?” 
asked Polly. 

“It plays music every quarter of an hour.” 

“How is it, then, that I did not hear the music 
before?” 

“Do you really mean that you have not heard 
the clock chime all the morning ? It has been play- 


37 


The Gray Witch 


ing right along. You must have seen that we chil- 
dren stopped playing for a few seconds now and 
then. At those times we were listening to the 
music.** 

The other children gathered about Polly, and 
when Harry told them about her failure to hear 
the chimes, they all began to laugh. 

Polly could not bear to be laughed at so she 
cried bitterly; whereupon the other children scam- 
pered off. 

Harry, however, tried to comfort the weeping 
child. “Polly,” he pleaded, “never mind those 
children; they do not know any better.” 

Polly suddenly drew away from him. “I guess 
you told them things about me! Go away from 
me! You are a tattle-tale!” 

She stamped her foot, and her eyes flashed. 
Harry turned and walked away sadly. 

Suddenly to Polly all nature became very still 
and lonesome. She was sorry that all the chil- 
dren had gone, and she did not know where to find 
them. The great clock-tower too had disappeared. 
She began to be afraid once more. Sitting down 
on a stone she almost wished herself dead. No 
one loved her. The sun began to move toward 
the West and Polly was beginning to feel hungry 
as well as sad. 


38 


The Gray Witch 


But now occurred something that made her 
forget all about hunger: She saw the witch ap- 
proaching her, looking more horrid than ever. 
When Polly tried to run, she found herself so badly 
frightened that she could not move from the spot. 

“Oh, please, please, good woman,” pleaded 
Polly, falling on her knees, “don’t take me away 
from these fields. I know I was naughty, but I 
will try to do better in the future. Please — don’t 
take me away!’’ 

Instead of scolding and threatening, as Polly 
feared, the hag gently patted her on the head, say- 
ing: “So you want to stay here. My child, no 
one can stay here who wishes evil and is stubborn.’* 

“I’ll be good — I’ll be good,’’ pleaded Polly. 

“Then, child, you shall have your wish,’’ re- 
plied the old woman, disappearing from the scene. 

As soon as the witch was gone, Polly rose from 
her knees and wished for Harry, but wishing did 
not bring him. Feeling tired after so much excite- 
ment, she lay down and peacefully drifted into 
dreamland. 

She was aroused by Harry’s voice. 

“Polly! Polly!’’ he was gently calling until 
she opened her large blue eyes. “It is past dinner- 


39 


The Gray Witch 

time/’ he said, “and if you do not hurry there will 
be no good things to eat.” 

“Oh, Harry, Harry!” she cried. “1 have been 
very, very naughty!” 

Happily they walked toward the great clock 
tower, which had become visible again to Polly. 
She afterward learned that her vision changed with 
her mood. In this land, if she was cranky and 
irritable she saw snakes and toads and worms and 
other creeping things, while if she was good she 
saw only singing birds and laughing waters and 
other beautiful objects. 

When the two entered the hall, most of 
the other children were leaving. Polly followed 
her friend to a seat and began to enjoy the good 
things on the table. 

After they had eaten, Harry led her about the 
building and showed her its many wonders. They 
were about to leave when Polly discovered a pic- 
ture that startled her. It appeared to be a large 
painting of two children, walking together, and 
an old hag dragging after. 

“Oh, Harry!” exclaimed Polly, starting back, 
“it is the picture of the gray witch! Come, let us 
run!” 

She turned to flee but Harry caught her. “Yes. 

40 


The Gray Witch 


Polly,’ * he said in surprise, “it is the witch, but 
she is not ugly but beautiful. If you knew her 
you would like her. She loves all of us very 
dearly. It is she who gave you that fine dinner!” 

“I do not believe it! She is horrid — I hate her!” 
shouted Polly. “She is always scolding me.” 

“You must be mistaken, Polly. She is the 
kindest woman in all the world!” 

Polly turned to look at the picture again. It 
had changed. The girl was a saucy little minx, but 
the boy was full of grace and beauty. The witch 
was smiling. 

“Why,” whispered Polly, “that boy looks like 
you ! But how wild the little girl looks ! The witch 
is smiling. I never saw the old thing look like that 
before.” 

“It is not a painted picture at all,” said Harry, 
“but only a mirror.” 

“Oh,” screamed Polly, turning round to find 
the witch. But the old woman was gone. Polly 
glanced at the mirror again, and there stood the 
two children alone. 

“I hope the witch did not hear what I said 
about her,” she exclaimed. 

They left the building and wandered along a 
pretty green carpeted road. A fat goose with her 


4 ! 


The Gray Witch 


brood of goslings waddled after them, gabbling 
something that sounded like this: “Wait for us! 
We want to go too. My little children cannot walk 
so fast. Hold on! Hold on there!” 

Polly stopped and beckoned to the old thing. 
Immediately the mother with her group of chil- 
dren came to her. She said that her goslings were 
the finest children in all the land. “Why,” she 
said, “they walked as soon as they were born! Not 
like humans, who have to be nursed and cradled 
for years before they know anything. My chil- 
dren began to do for themselves when they were 
an hour old. Now humans are stupid till they are 
taught a trade with which to earn a living. There 
are no idle children among my youngsters.” 

“I have always heard people say ‘as foolish as 
a goose,’ ” replied Polly. “I am never going to say 
that again, for I see that I was mistaken. I should 
have said ‘as stupid as human children!’ ” 

When all were rested they started off to the 
half-mile creek to see the big bullfrogs. 

“Now watch, Polly,” said Harry, when they 
reached the banks, “and you will see the great 
prince of the frogs. He comes out about this 
time of the day to review his subjects. There is 
the band coming already. Like other monarchs, 


42 


The Gray Witch 


he likes to be preceded by a great swell of music. 
The people of Frogdom must be impressed.’’ 

Sure enough, there swam into view a company 
of frogs, big and little. They swam to a little 
island and leaped up the bank. The leader, who 
was a little larger than the others, faced them and 
waved a small twig. Immediately the frog band 
struck up. 

It was a strange band indeed. They had all 
the parts, from the bass up to a high treble. The 
water trombones sat breast deep in the water so 
that they produced a very delightful music. Others 
stood on their toes and rubbed themselves against 
the tall grass to produce a violin effect. The big 
frogs played bass; the little fellows shrilled like 
piccolos. 

The children clapped their hands and sang to 
the accompaniment of the frog band. The old 
goose swung her head from side to side, keeping 
time with the music, while the goslings sang all of 
the tunes they knew. When the band played a 
familiar cake-walk, they waddled about the bridge 
as gracefully as goslings could, with their necks 
joined together. 

Suddenly the band ceased, and the children be- 
held a very large bullfrog sitting on a pond lily 


43 


The Gray Witch 

drawn by eight little frogs. Dreamily the car of 
state floated toward the little island. 

“It is the king,” whispered Harry. 

The big lazy frog landed at the island, fol- 
lowed by a great host of froggies. Then he stood 
up and his subjects bowed low. When the band 
struck up the national anthem of Frogdom, all the 
frogs cheered and waved their hands. Then they 
had games and contests to please his majesty. 
Some turned somersaults, some in swimming races 
made wonderful time, while others strutted on 
their hind legs to see who could do it longest. 

The old goose was very much annoyed at the 
haughty ways of the frog king, and she muttered 
something about people making too much of them- 
selves. “I would like to teach that fat fellow that 
he is better able to draw those little frogs than 
they are to draw him!” she declared as she jumped 
into the water and swam to the island. 

As soon as she reached shore, she waddled up 
to the king, who was addressing his subjects. No- 
body noticed her approach and their astonishment 
knew no bounds when she appeared among them 
hissing loudly. The king was so startled that he 
broke down in his speech, and his subjects lost no 
time in diving deep into the water. 


44 


The Gray Witch 


The ruler was left alone and defenseless. The 
goose seized him by his fat sides, and swallowed 
his majesty. The king was no more. His be- 
reaved subjects wailed, and the band played a 
mournful tune, as they saw their monarch disap- 
pearing, inch by inch, down the long neck of the 
goose. 

Mrs. Goose turned upon the crowd. “You sim- 
pering loons!” she hissed, what are you mourning 
over? A lost king? No, but over your own stu- 
pidity. Now you are free and I advise you to set 
up no more monarchs; if you do, I shall turn my 
goslings loose upon you.” So saying she swam 
back again and waddled about on the bridge. 

After this exciting incident the children took 
off their shoes and paddled in the cool stream. Pol- 
ly was delighted to feel the little fishes nibbling at 
her toes. When this enjoyment was at its height, 
they were surprised to see a little man gliding to- 
ward them in a little boat. He came paddling 
against the stream, singing as he dipped the blade 
into the water. He was a handsome fellow and 
sat bravely in his wee cockleshell. 

“Get in my children,” he said. “I have been 
sent to bring you to the great palace.” 


45 


The Gray Witch 


“But,” protested Polly, “the boat is no longer 
than my own body.” 

“Nothing can be accomplished without try- 
ing,” said the little boatman, so they stepped in and 
instead of sinking, the boat rose just a little out of 
the water. It was certainly a magic boat. And 
when the boatman plied his paddle the little vessel 
skimmed like a swallow along the surface. Up- 
stream they glided, passing under many bridges. 
It was the most delightful trip that Polly had ever 
taken. 

Just below the landing was a bend in the 
stream and as they rounded it a magnificent land- 
scape suddenly popped into view. A splendid 
building stood close to the landing. It was known 
as the River Castle. As the children sprang out, 
a merry group of youngsters came running to meet 
them. An acquaintance began at once, and soon 
Polly and Harry were playing with the other chil- 
dren as if they had known one another for years. 

By and by there was a lull in the play, and Pol- 
ly’s eyes wandered to the great tall building. She 
had not carefully observed the high eight-sided 
tower, whose top was lost to view in the clouds. 
Its sides were set with bell-shaped disks, made of 
different metals — some of gold, some of silver, and 


46 


The Gray Witch 


others of copper. As the light of the setting sun 
shone upon them, the scene was beyond descrip- 
tion. 

“What is that?” whispered Polly grasping an 
arm of her friend, and pointing toward the castle. 

‘ ‘That is the great reflector. Every sound that 
has ever been made is repeated here,” explained 
Harry. “Even the growing corn may be heard 
singing as it grows.” 

They were interrupted by the striking of the 
old town-clock. They counted the strokes — one, 
two, three, four, five. They seemed many miles 
away. 

‘‘It is the old clock in the tower,” whispered 
Polly. 

The disks took up the sweet notes and magni- 
fied them till they sang a thousand times more 
sweetly. Then the chimes struck up their beauti- 
ful music. The children stood with bowed heads 
as they heard the grand harmonies of heaven. 

When the music had ended, the boy and the 
girl sat silent for many minutes. Then Polly looked 
up and saw the witch standing before them, and 
all her old fears returned. 

‘‘Well Polly,” said the old woman, “are you 
still afraid of me?” 


47 


The Gray Witch 


Then a magic spell was wrought. Polly looked 
in astonishment. The hag had changed from an 
old withered thing to a very beautiful young 
woman. 

“You thought that I was ugly, little girl. Now 
that you are feeling better and happier 1 appear to 
you as wonderful as your own thoughts. People 
always have the things they desire — that is, if they 
truly desire them. We are what we make our- 
selves. No matter how crippled or distorted we 
may be, still we may be happy and beautiful if we 
so desire. Happiness is within and is not to be 
chased like a butterfly and bagged.” 

Now Polly was not so sure that she liked the 
witch after all ; in fact, she wished that she would 
go away and leave them alone. In a moment 
the woman changed to an ugly creature again. Pol- 
ly started to run away but the witch caught her 
up in her arms and hugged her close, and when she 
was through the witch again became the lovely 
creature that she had been a few moments ago. 

“Now you must not think wicked thoughts,” 
said she; “if you do, I shall have to remain ugly. 
If you only knew how it hurts to be ugly I believe 
you would try to be good, if only for my sake.” 

“Please, mother,” pleaded the child, “if you 


48 






















* 










. 

















•• 












/ ‘4 






tf 




•'i 






















V 

























i 












































































The Gray Witch 


forgive me this time I shall always be good because 
1 want to, both for your sake and because I wish 
to be good. 1 am very much ashamed of myself. 

Polly threw her arms around the good mother 
and hugged her. From that hour, they became 
friends. And sitting down on the grass the good 
woman explained the working of the tower. 

“That spire,’’ she said, “reaches to heaven and 
has milions and millions of disks on its sides. These 
instruments are the sound-receivers of the whole 
world. Every sound is magnified and made sweet- 
er by the condensers. Every prayer, every song„ 
and every musical note is caught here and made 
clearer and stronger. Every good deed done is 
praised and every kind word reechoed.’’ 

“Did you say,” inquired the girl, “that every 
angry word or wicked prayer is retold on these 
bells? That would be terrible!” Polly was think- 
ing of her own naughty thoughts. 

“Yes, my dear,” answered the woman, “every- 
thing is heard here. But the strange thing about 
the bells is that a wicked thing is a thousand times 
reduced. These disks repeat everything good that 
is said and throw it back to the poor old world to 
brighten the speaker and the world itself. Good 
thoughts, too, are reflected and sent to earth again 


51 


The Gray Witch 


to gladden human beings. Wicked things are de- 
tected and examined, but only good things are sent 
to earth again.” 

Then the woman led the children a short dis- 
tance from the tower and asked them to listen. 

‘‘Oh! Oh!” screamed Polly, ‘‘I heard a bad 
word.” 

“Yes,” explained the woman, ‘‘you heard that 
word before it reached the bells ; but if you were to 
listen, it would be so changed that you would not 
recognize it. But let us go and see other things 
about the great steeple.” 

She led them to the base of the building and 
showed them a queer-looking register that worked 
like a modern adding machine. A ribbon contin- 
ually ran out of one end and was rolled on a big 
spool. 

“This,” explained the guide, “records every 
deed done by everybody in the world. It is con- 
nected with the disks and never gets out of tune.” 

They examined the machine, and saw millions 
and millions of spools slowly rolling as the minutes 
passed. There was a spool for each individual that 
ever lived on earth. At every one’s death his spool 
was laid away in the great tower above. 


52 


The Gray Witch 


“Isn’t it wonderful?” exclaimed Polly. “I 
should like to see my spool, dear mother.” 

The woman took the girl to the back of the 
machine and showed her her own life-spool. The 
ribbon was very small, but the guide detached it 
and gave it to the child to read. As she unwound 
it, she read: “I wish that God would punish all the 
wicked people I know!” Polly dropped the spool 
and hid her face: these were her own words. 

“Do not feel badly, dear Polly,” whispered the 
mother, “and do not look now for any more bad 
records of yourself; but fill the rest of the spool 
with good words and good deeds, and in the end 
your record will be rewritten, made bright and 
clear.” She then picked the girl up and held her to 
her breast, kissing her tenderly. 

At this moment Polly heard the disks ring out : 
“Polly!” and she cried, “Goodie! Goodie!” 

It was her mother calling her for breakfast. 
Polly sat up and rubbed her eyes. “Oh, mamma 
— where is the mother witch? Where is Harry?” 

Her mother looked puzzled at first, but she 
quickly realized that her little daughter had been 
dreaming. ”1*11 be the mother witch, my dear,’* 
she said, “and we will find Harry some day soon.” 


53 


MR. ROOSTER 

:N a certain back yard lives a colony of 
I most interesting chickens. You could 
( not imagine that feathered things would 
perform such capers as they do. 

One fine morning, after Mrs. Black Hen had 
spent a restless night on the roost, she addressed 
Mrs. Brown Hen with these words: 

“Do you know, Brownie, my husband snores, 
and 1 did not sleep a wink last night!** 

“Just to think of that! A snoring husband is a 
dreadful thing,’* Brownie returned. 

Brownie cackled all day from group to group 
about the snoring husband. The gossip grew as 
the day advanced till all the hens were cackling 
and exchanging winks and the rooster, thinking 
that the hens were laying an unusual number of 
eggs, crowed with great zest. This amused the 
hens very much, for, without knowing it, the roos- 
ter was making fun of himself. He would have 
been extremely angry had he known the truth. 



54 


Mr. Rooster 


The poor hens cackled themselves into fits over 
the thing. It was so funny! 

The cook of the house to which the back yard 
belonged at once thought that the poor creatures 
had “the gapes.” Now the gapes is nearly always 
fatal, but sometimes death may be averted by an 
application of red pepper. No wonder the cook 
was mistaken, for by this time the hens were rol- 
ling, kicking and cackling. The rooster was sit- 
ting on the fence almost shouting his head off. 

But when the cook ran out of the house and 
dosed every hen with Cayenne pepper, the surpris- 
ed chickens sprang to their feet and rushed about 
madly. All the fun was gone. Some of them 
leaned against the coop and gasped for breath, 
while others rushed for the watering trough. 

During the performance, the rooster flew to the 
highest place possible and screamed with delight, 
for he had at last gotten through his thick head 
that the joke had been on him, but was now on 
his wives. 

Oh, but the hens were mad ! That evening they 
crept to bed with tears in their little red eyes and 
vengeance in their small hearts. It had been agreed 
to watch the old fellow and see if it was true that 
he was a snorer. Not a hen slept that night. 


55 


Mr. Rooster 


All went as usual till about eleven o’clock, 
when suddenly the rooster opened his mouth and 
screamed, “Cock-a-doodle-doooo f* 

This was not really snoring, as you easily see, 
but a natural burst of pride, praise and warning 
to keep the bogies away. Nevertheless, the hens 
in their bad temper were no judges of any matter, 
let alone snoring in the middle of the night. They 
nudged each other very wisely. They had caught 
him at last and there were twenty witnesses. One 
o’clock came and he repeated the same words. The 
hens were delighted, for they would have their in- 
nings in the morning. 

When morning came, the hens openly twitted 
the rooster about his snoring. At first he paid lit- 
tle attention to their taunts, but as the day wore on 
he became very much exasperated. The hens kept 
their own quarters and refused to have anything to 
do with him, and he, manlike, was determined to 
be near them. Whenever he came into their 
“midst,” as they chatted, they just left him there 
twiddling his fine wings. He was much enraged 
and gave chase to many of them. Sometimes he 
almost caught one; but when that was about to 
happen, the others pitched in and drove him off 


56 





































Mr. Rooster 


very much crestfallen. The hens were wise enough 
that day to stand together. 

When all had retired as usual, the hens waited 
for the rooster to enter their coop. But he did not 
come. Some suggested that they should go in a 
body and compel his majesty to come home. He 
had never before remained out all night, as some 
husbands do ! They had a hard time sleeping that 
night, for they greatly missed the rooster. 

But the rooster sat all the while on the back 
fence vowing vengeance. 

About three o’clock in the morning, when all 
was still, one of the hens felt a sharp pain in her 
breast. She wakened and scrambled to her feet, 
but was instantly dragged to the floor by a weasel. 
She screamed and struggled to escape. The other 
hens joined in the clatter. It was with the greatest 
difficulty that she escaped with her life. 

The weasel fled when the noise became pro- 
nounced, for he was afraid of a human. The poor 
hen was terribly wounded. Not a wink of sleep 
had the hens the remainder of that night, and they 
were glad when the sun rose. They sought the 
rooster and told the hard-hearted fellow the awful 
story of the night raid, but he just opened his 
mouth and crowed with pleasure. They were in- 


59 


Mr. Rooster 


dignant and walked off and left him to his laughs. 

In the afternoon, when all was the quietest in 
Chicken ville, the rooster joined his wives and talk- 
ed very seriously about what had occurred. 
“Now,” said he in conclusion, “this trouble has 
been brought about through gossip. You have 
had your fun and I have had mine. The best thing 
to do is to let bygones be bygones and all of us 
turn over a new leaf.” 

The hens unwillingly consented, for the sun 
was setting and they feared the night. 

Since then Mr. Rooster has enjoyed great com- 
fort, and whenever the hens begin to gossip he 
opens his red mouth and screeches “RED PEP- 
PER!” 


60 


THE MID-EARTH PEOPLE 


£NCLE RUPERT, the children’s friend, 
r u had just returned from a wonderful trip 
through the Orient and therefore had 
many startling things to tell to his neph- 
ews and nieces. He was such a famous story-teller 
that when he described anything the children 
actually thought they saw it happening. 

On the sunny afternoon of Easter day, the chil- 
dren begged their uncle to take them to a park and 
tell them all about his trip. Uncle Rupert was quite 
willing, and fifteen minutes later a dozen boys and 
girls, accompanied by a big man, started on a street 
car to the park. 

“I am not going to tell you anything now about 
my trip abroad,* * began Uncle Rupert when they 
reached their destination, “for this is Eastertide 
and I wish to talk about Easter!** 

“Oh! Oh!** cried the whole crowd, “Please 
don’t! Tell us something more interesting! We 
have had one sermon today, and it was — pretty 
dry.** 


61 


The Mid-Earth People 


Uncle Rupert smiled and, raising his head, be- 
gan again: “I will let you be the judges as to the 
dullness of so-called ‘moral’ stories after we are 
through. If you are not satisfied, then I shall jump 
off this cliff!” 

With this assurance, twelve eager bodies sat 
in silence waiting for him to begin. 

“Are you all ready?” asked Uncle Rupert. 
“Then place your hands on your knees. Now, Tom, 
do not crowd Madge. That is the right way ; heads 
up and eyes to the front. One, two, three and we 
are off.” 

“Here he is! See the little man? He is just 
coming out from a hole in the ground, opposite 
you.” 

The children looked and, to their amazement, 
saw a midget crawling from the earth. He was 
dressed in tight-fitting breeches of blue with stock- 
ings to match. Red shoes, with golden buckles, 
were on his feet, and hanging over his shoulders 
was a rich crimson cape, fastened about his throat 
with a pearl clasp. At his belt dangled a highly 
polished sword, and in his hand he carried a black 
plumed hat. Not a sign of a beard was on his face, 
and his hair hung in curls on his back. He looked 
as though he had stepped out of an old fashion 
plate. 


62 


The Mid-Earth People 

The youngsters were too surprised to move or 
speak; they hardly dared to breathe, for fear that 
he would vanish. The stranger walked toward 
Uncle Rupert and bowed to him. 

“Well, sir, who are you?” demanded the big 
uncle, “and what brings you here?” 

“I am an exile just banished from my own 
country,” said the little man. “King Vitius and his 
selfish wife drove me away because I have always 
said that there is a better country above us.” 

“Oh!” exclaimed Madge, “what stupid people 
they must be not to know of this beautiful Ameri- 
ca.” 

The man sobered, and Uncle Rupert asked 
him: “Where is this dull world, and what is your 
name?” 

“My name is Pietas, and our people live in the 
center of the earth,” replied the dwarf. 

Uncle Rupert smiled as he watched the chil- 
dren staring with wide-open mouths. 

“We shall all go with you,” began the wily 
story-teller, looking out of the corner of his eye to 
see how his scheme was taking, “and help you to 
regain your place in your own land.” 

“I cannot go back, because they would kill me; 


63 


The Mid-Earth People 

and besides, if 1 told them what I have seen today, 
they would laugh me to scorn.” 

“We shall go and force them to take you 
back!” exclaimed Tom. 

“But I do not want to go back,” answered the 
little man. ‘‘This is a glorious country. Our sun 
does not shine so brightly as yours. If my people 
only knew the truth, they would never think of 
their country as the greatest and best one. It is 
a poor gloomy world.” 

“But!” pleaded Madge, ‘‘you can return with 
us when we have fulfilled our mission of proving 
what you told the king.” 

Pietas agreed, on these terms, and turning on 
his heels, beckoned them to follow. All started 
after him, and when they got to the hole that the 
midget had come out of, he sprang lightly down 
a small embankment and disappeared through the 
opening into a cave below. 

“Come!” said Tom, jumping in after him, ‘‘let 
us hurry.” 

They all followed without hesitation. Uncle 
Rupert was the last to go down. 

When they had gone about a quarter of a mile 
through the underground passage, it became so 
dark that they lost their way. 


64 


The Mid-Earth People 


“1 wonder where Pietas is?” shouted Uncle 
Rupert. “The rascal has deserted us. Come, boys, 
let us call his name.” 

The children screamed, “Pietas!” three or four 
times, and then the little fellow appeared with a 
lantern. 

“What do you mean by deserting us, Pietas?” 
asked Uncle Rupert. 

“I was hoping you would not follow me,” an- 
swered the dwarf; “and I was wishing that you 
would get tired and give up the venture. It may 
mean death to us all.” 

Fear now showed itself in the company, and 
some wanted to turn back, but others begged Un- 
cle Rupert to go on, and after much talk it was de- 
cided to proceed. Tom was chosen leader, Pietas 
and Uncle Rupert were the guides, and in double 
column they began their journey. 

Suddenly as they strode along at a brisk pace, 
the earth slid from beneath them, and they fell 
feet first, down, down — they did not know where. 
Filled with terror, they could only think of what 
might happen when they struck something. 

At last, with a great jolt, they landed and went 
sprawling in all directions. When they scrambled 
to their feet they were glad to be alive, and for a 


65 


The Mid-Earth People 

few moments they stood there panting and won- 
dering. 

“Well, of all things!” exclaimed Uncle Rupert, 
“that was a terrible fall! I wonder where we are 
now? Tell us, Pietas.” 

Pietas said they had fallen three miles. But 
the force of gravity being not so strong near the 
center of the earth they did not fall as fast as they 
would have fallen near the surface. They were 
near his own kingdom, he said, and a walk of about 
a hundred yards would bring them to the alliga- 
tor’s tail. 

“Do not be afraid of the animal, my dear peo- 
ple,” he said, “for he cannot harm you. We shall 
find the monster lying in the path. We shall walk 
on the beast for a number of yards, but he cannot 
harm us nor shake us off. There will be a little 
danger when we get to the head, but if we jump 
from his nose without falling, no harm can come to 
us. The name of the creature is Mortuus, and he 
is dangerous only to those who try to leave our 
kingdom. Few have escaped his deadly bite when 
doing that. But let us move on at once.” 

The children did not hesitate to follow, for Un- 
cle Rupert gave them confidence. When they 
came to the great tail, they stepped lightly upon it 


66 


The Mid-Earth People 


and walked along, as they might have walked on 
board an ocean liner. 

“Hist!” exclaimed Pietas, “let us all gather 
together and get ready to run and jump off the end 
of his snout. This is the beginning of the Middle 
Earth Kingdom.” 

Uncle Rupert took little Bee in his arms, and 
the rest followed the dwarf, with Uncle Rupert in 
the rear. 

They walked with some difficulty upon the 
great head of the alligator, for he kept opening and 
shutting his jaws. When he opened his mouth, 
they seemed to be going uphill, and when he shut 
it, they felt as if they were sliding downhill. How 
the boys did enjoy it! But the girls found the road 
a little rough. 

When they came to jump off, Uncle Rupert 
showed them how to do so while the jaws were 
shut; then the fall was only seven or eight feet, 
whereas, with the mouth open, it would have been 
at least a hundred feet. 

As soon as they had all landed safely, the mon- 
ster began to roar like fifty bulls. He must have 
been disappointed at losing his supper. 

But the children turned their backs on Mortuus 
and ran about a level field, gathering black roses 


67 


The Mid-Earth People 

and gazing upon the strange scenery that lay be- 
fore them. 

They had never seen such peculiar flowers. All 
natural things were of a somber hue because there 
was so little sunlight. But the girls were pleased 
with the new sights and the boys took off their 
shoes and waded in the brooks, chasing little fish. 

To Uncle Rupert it was no wonder that the 
people would not believe what Pietas said about 
the better land, seeing that they had to face the 
monster alligator in their journey to the United 
States. 

“Pietas,” said Uncle Rupert, “I do not believe 
we shall be able to convince your people, for the 
only entrance to the upper country is so horrible. 
If we could only kill or disable the monster, we 
might succeed in bringing your people out of this 
place.” 

“Yes,” replied the dwarf, “and besides no one 
has ever come back to tell about the other country. 
I am the first to return from there, and I hope, 
through your help, to be able to make my people 
believe my report. As for the monster, I am no 
longer afraid of him. If you and the boys will 
help me, perhaps we can put out his eyes so that 
he will not be able to harm people that come to 


68 


The Mid-Earth People 


him on their journey upward. Then, too, they 
can easily step onto his nose when he shuts his 
mouth, and when he opens it again he will lift them 
so that they can walk along his huge carcass and go 
on their way.” 

In a hurried conference, the boys worked out a 
plan. While the girls were left playing in the 
meadow, the boys, led by Uncle Rupert, cautiously 
approached the brute. 

They found it hard to keep from being sucked 
into the gaping mouth, but by holding fast to one 
another they avoided that danger, while Uncle 
Rupert lifted Pietas, armed with his little sword, 
and threw the tiny fellow onto the snout. As the 
beast opened his mouth, thinking that his dinner 
had come, Pietas slid down his back out of danger. 

The children kept at a safe distance and 
watched the little man as he crept toward the crea- 
ture’s left eye. When near enough, with his 
sword he made a quick thrust which put that eye 
quite out. The alligator roared in pain, and threw 
open his jaws with such force as to pitch Pietas 
into the air, whence he fell at the feet of the as- 
tonished party of boys. The fellow was badly hurt, 
and they had to carry him to a nearby brook, where 
they bathed his bruises. He soon recovered and 


69 


The Mid-Earth People 


became light-hearted again, although he \yas sorry 
that he had not put out both of the alligator’s eyes. 

“But,” said Uncle Rupert, if we approach him 
on his blind side, we may still be able to escape 
the danger.” 

The roaring of the monster brought the girls to 
the place, and when they found that the party were 
all safe, they asked Pietas to take them to see his 
people. Uncle Rupert and the boys joined in the 
request, and so Pietas led the way and they all fol- 
lowed. 

They came to a good road that led through a 
beautiful country. This highway crossed a very 
large river. Uncle Rupert explained to the chil- 
dren that this was the source of one of the greatest 
rivers of America. They passed over the bridge 
and approached a little village. As they walked 
through the streets of the town the little pygmies, 
not bigger than babies, cried after them: “There 
go the giants!” 

Their destination was the Royal City, which 
they could see as soon as they got out of the village. 
It was a beautiful sight. There nestled the city 
in the peculiar dull atmosphere, its spires and tall 
buildings shining with pure gold. 

Before they reached the city, they were seen 


70 


The Mid-Earth People 


by some of the king’s men. They had thought 
that the country was well rid of the hated Pietas. 
Great were their surprise and disgust when they 
saw him back and in company with giants. He 
had told them that he would return some day and 
prove to them the truth of all he had said. Here 
he was, and what were they to do ? 

The king hastily called his wise men together, 
and had a few words with them. They determined 
to capture Pietas if possible, and to destroy the 
giants. The army was called out and prepared to 
meet the enemy and disturber at the gate. The 
children were indeed surprised, when they arrived 
at the entrance, to be met by an army of pigmies, 
although they did not look dangerous for they 
were so small. The party supposed that the army 
had been sent out to greet them and Uncle Rupert 
had prepared in his mind a long speech of thanks. 
But things were different from what they imag- 
ined. 

A guard, consisting of a captain and a few sub- 
ordinates, approached them, and the captain, 
walking up to Pietas said: “In the name of his 
Majesty we arrest you as a disturber of the public 
conscience.” 

“But,” said Uncle Rupert, “this man has done 


71 


The Mid-Earth People 

nothing to deserve arrest. We brought him hither 
so that we might confirm the things that he has 
told you. He is no disturber of the public con- 
science.” 

But without paying any attention, the soldiers 
began to march off with their prisoner. The chil- 
dren knew that this meant death to poor Pietas. 

Uncle Rupert looked at his companions to see 
what they wanted to do about it. He had not long 
to wait, for Tom, who was as big as four of the 
soldiers, snatched Pietas from the guard and 
shoved the captain over. Thereupon the guard 
fled, and the captain, scrambling to his feet, ran 
after his men. 

“I’ll beat the whole bunch myself!” boasted 
Tom as he rolled up his sleeves. 

Pietas begged the Americans to return and 
leave him to his fate, but they would not. Then 
the pygmy army prepared to charge the little band 
and take him if they could. 

“Please,” said Pietas, “let me meet my people 
in my own way. I feel that I am to blame for 
bringing you here.” 

“No, you are not!” cried all the children with 
one breath. “Indeed not,” added Uncle Rupert. 

Pietas smiled and then turned and fled to the 


72 


The Mid-Earth People 

armed men. In vain did Tom and others call him 
back. The party watched as he quietly gave him- 
self up to the law of his people. The soldiers 
wheeled and marched with their captive to the 
palace of the king. A mob quickly gathered 
around the Americans and began to threaten them. 

“Beware, good people!” shouted Uncle Ru- 
pert. “Take care that you do not hurt a single 
hair of one of these children! We are not come to 
harm you, but to tell you a great truth. There is 
a fine country just above your heads where the sun 
shines all day and the stars come out in the even- 
ing; a land full of trees and birds and flowers and 
brooks. The air is not stuffy as it is here, nor is 
the place gloomy like this. All men and women 
are giants in our land. Now you have captured 
Pietas!” continued Uncle Rupert, coming to the 
business in hand. “I tell you that, if you do not let 
him go, we will fight this day for his freedom ; and 
if we lose, be it known that our people will quickly 
send men to destroy your whole nation!” 

To the surprise of the American party, Uncle 
Rupert’s remarks were greeted with cheers of ap- 
proval. The multitude of little folks gathered 
about the strangers and shook their hands. At 
last they believed the story of the other world. 


73 


The Mid-Earth People 

Many wished to go to America with the returning 
travelers. 

Then Uncle Rupert led the whole crowd to the 
palace of the king, hoping to rescue poor Pietas. 
When they got there, the king was throned on a 
high platform, while Pietas, in chains, stood before 
him, the king’s soldiers standing at rest and look- 
ing on. 

Uncle Rupert made his way through the crowd 
of people and reached the platform^ 

There he turned to the soldiers and leaders and 
appealed to them for the life of his little friend. 

The king arose with fear and asked: “Who art 
thou, great giant?” 

“I am Rupert Randall, a citizen of the United 
States of America!” 

“Do you speak of the Upper Country, sir, as 
this impudent Pietas has done?” 

“I do, O King, and I wish that I could persuade 
you of the truth. Pietas is an honorable man and 
has tried to help your people, but you would not 
let him!” 

The king wrung his hands and exclaimed: “I 
am determined to free Pietas now. I am puzzled 
beyond words, and fear I may be undone; but I 
shall set Pietas free.” 


74 


The Mid-Earth People 


But the soldiers shouted: “Away with the im- 
poster! He has declared against the army. He is 
no friend of the king. Besides, these Americans 
have insulted and abused our captain!** 

The king tried to appease the multitude but 
they kept on crying for the life of Pietas. No one 
could speak, no one could hear, because of the 
screaming. At last the poor king motioned to the 
people to leave, and the soldiers took Pietas and 
marched him away. 

The Americans followed at a little distance, 
watching for an opportunity to rescue their friend, 
but before they could interfere, the soldiers had 
bound Pietas to a tree. 

Suddenly Tom and Madge rushed through the 
crowd and struck right and left, knocking soldiers 
and citizens down in their mad rush to pull their 
friend from the tree. Uncle Rupert, with the rest 
of the children, followed the brave little leaders. 

In a few moments the rescuers had Pietas un- 
bound and in their arms. 

The poor fellow was all but unconscious from 
fright and rough usage. Hie soldiers fled before 
the giants as they carried their dear little friend 
away. Pietas revived, sat up, called all the people 
to his side, and told them he was glad that they had 


75 


The Mid-Earth People 


treated him so. “For,** explained he, “they have 
not really hurt me, and 1 rejoice to suffer in wit- 
nessing to the truth. “ 

No sooner had he spoken than many poor peo- 
ple came to him and begged to be allowed to go 
with him. He told them to remain and tell all the 
others the good news. “When you are through 
doing your duty, then I will come for you. Mean- 
while, I am going with my friends to the Upper 
Country.” 

With sorrow he bade them good-by, and with 
the American party he turned and walked the road 
to the great alligator. At first, the children were 
afraid of the monster, but soon they cautiously ap- 
proached him on his blind side, without attracting 
his attention. It was not difficult for them to 
spring upon his head; but when they had done so, 
the monster opened his mouth and threw them into 
the air and they rolled down his nose. 

“Oh! Ohf ’ they shouted. It took them a few 
minutes to realize that they had been in the park 
all the time and that Uncle Rupert had been telling 
them a story. “Oh, Uncle, where is Pietas?” 
asked Madge. “Pietas,” replied Uncle Rupert, “is 
not here, he has returned to his own country to tell 


76 


The Mid-Earth People 


his people more about his new home. He expects 
to lead all his people here some day. 

“I have preached you a long sermon, my dears, 
and I do hope that you understood it. Pietas repre- 
sented the Master who was killed but was revived 
by his Father to return again on Easter to tell his 
own country of the beautiful heaven and how to 
live so as to be worthy of it." 

‘‘Do tell us another story!" cried Madge. ‘‘We 
did so enjoy that one. Why, I thought that I was 
in the land of the Under World and I pitied the 
poor creatures there." 

‘‘So, my dear, do the saints pity us in this 
world; and they are hoping that we will be good, so 
that we may reach the Upper World. 

‘‘Now what do you say — shall I jump off the 
cliff?" 

"No!" they all shouted. 


77 


THE BLACK HUS 


S O tell the complete story of the Black 
Hus would take as many years as civil- 
ized man has been on earth. The largest 
state in the Union is scarcely big enough 
to contain the books that could be written about 
the terrible monster. 

Even today there is a Hus in every country, 
but this particular Hus lived in Greece many hun- 
dred years ago. It was related to the Hebrew 
Chazir spoken of in the Bible. 

You remember the Chazir that attacked Noah 
when he was making merry in his tent. Noah was 
drinking some good wine, when all at once the 
beast rushed upon him, tore his clothing and seized 
him by the throat. When his sons came to his 
rescue, they found their father lying naked in his 
tent, in a helpless condition, and the dreadful Cha- 
zir standing over him. As soon as the beast saw 
the stalwart sons, he fled into the night. 

You remember that it was Ham who laughed 
at his father’s condition, because he had not seen 


78 


The Black Hut 


the Chazir, but only his father’s foolish condition. 
Ham’s two brothers, Shem and Japheth, covered 
their father with a sheepskin blanket and went 
their way much wiser. 

Passing now to Greece, we read of a nobleman 
there who had many sons and daughters. The 
eldest son, who was the apple of his eye, he called 
Egkartes because he was a good, honest fellow. 

“Egkartes,” the father said one day, “I am go- 
ing to give you the next litter of pigs born on the 
farm.” 

This was a fine offer, for it meant the beginning 
of the boy’s fortune. 

Not long after this there was a family of thir- 
teen little pigs on the farm. Twelve of the baby 
pigs were perfectly white, but one little fellow’s 
skin was black as pitch, and his eyes were red as 
live coals. Almost as soon as he was born he be- 
gan to show a savage disposition. 

The black fellow soon awakened the curi- 
osity of the neighborhood. No pig like him 
anywhere to be seen. He grew twice as fast as 
his little brothers, and daily became more savage. 
When eighteen months old, he weighed fifteen 
hundred pounds, and had to be kept in a separate 
pen and watched day and night for fear he would 


79 


The Black Hus 


devour his brothers. People came from far and 
near to see the monster, and went away thanking 
their stars that he was not allowed to run at large. 

One beautiful autumn day the nobleman gave 
a thanksgiving dinner for his freemen. Hie best 
of foods and drinks were served, and the men ate 
till they could eat no more, and drank till they 
could scarcely see. They became very noisy and 
filled the banqueting hall with such profane lan- 
guage that the Greek maids who had been engaged 
to dance for their amusement fled in fear. 

No sooner had they gone than the black pig ap- 
peared in the hall. Some of the men rose to drive 
him back to his pen, but he would not go. He 
stood before their blurred eyes, shaking his ugly 
head and gnashing his terrible teeth. 

Some of the stupid fellows thought that the 
pig must be mad; others said he must be a devil 
clothed in pig’s flesh. They all kept a safe dis- 
tance from him, hiding wherever they could, till at 
last Egkartes cautiously approached the monster, 
intending to lead him to his pen, as the youth had 
done on like occasions. But when as usual, he 
took the pig by the ear, the beast turned upon him 
with a thundering roar, seized his arm, and shook 
him as a terrier shakes a rat. 


80 


The Black Hus 


Then the half-drunken father, staggering to 
his son’s help, beat the animal over the head with 
a great stick; but this only increased the pig’s fury, 
and dropping the boy, he ran amuck against the 
company, biting every man in the room. 

One man, trying to escape by jumping over the 
pig, landed at full length on the creature’s back, 
where he clung for dear life. The black pig did 
his best to shake the man off, but he held on with 
might and main. Round and round spun the pig 
squealing and grunting furiously. The man kept 
his hold so firmly, that at length some of his com- 
panions crept from their hiding places and cheered 
the plucky rider. 

Finally the pig sprang through the door and ran 
for the open country, the man clinging to him like 
a “broncho-buster,” while his companions — as 
many as were not too stupified by excess at table — 
gave chase, frantically shouting. Down the lane 
the strange steed charged, over the fence he leaped, 
madly shaking himself at every jump, and con- 
tinued his career till he came to a narrow foot- 
bridge over a deep river, and tried to cross it. As 
he reached the middle of the bridge, he slipped and 
rolled into the stream below, carrying his rider 
with him. 


81 


The Black Hus 


When he reappeared the man was swimming 
desperately for the bank, which he soon succeeded 
in reaching. The pig also landed safely and disap- 
peared into the opposite woods. 

“Well, boys!” exclaimed the pig rider, so- 
bered, “that was a narrow escape! That little 
bridge saved my life. That was one time when 1 
needed some one to help me let go !” 

These men were a sorry-looking crew as they 
returned home tattered and torn. There was not 
a man among them with a whole garment. 

The Hus never came back to the farm. 

When the story of his antics was repeated from 
mouth to mouth, people would not believe it. But 
the monster was by no means through. A month 
later he appeared in the Royal City and killed 
many of its inhabitants. The rumor spread every- 
where that the Hus was devouring the men of 
Greece. 

The king was much alarmed and offered a re- 
ward for its capture, but the dreadful destruction 
went on. Finally his Majesty offered the hand of 
his only daughter and the half of his kingdom to 
the man who would slay the brute. But in spite 
of all endeavors to win so great a prize, the pig 
continued his terrible work, appearing now here, 


82 


The Black Hu* 


now there, and killing even the bravest men of the 
kingdom. Strange to say the monster seldom at- 
tacked women. 

A year passed, and the Hus had grown to a 
more enormous size. Some said that he was as 
big as an elephant. 

For a long time the nobleman and his family 
had to remain in hiding because of the fury of the 
multitude, who blamed him for raising the pig. 
The king seized his property, and the nobleman 
became a poor man and for some years he and his 
family were outcasts. 

At last Egkartes determined to redeem his 
father’s good name and, if possible, win the fair 
princess. 

His father and mother were pleased with his 
boldness and readily consented to his undertaking. 
At once great preparations were made, and five 
men were persuaded to accompany the young 
adventurer. With brave hearts they set forth, 
confident of victory. 

On the third day, as they approached the city 
they met a woman crying as if her heart must 
break. She told them that on the night before, 
her husband had been killed by some monster. She 
described the spot, near her dwelling, where she 


83 


The Black Hus 


had found her husband, Methuson, dying on the 
roadside. “I ran to him,’’ she said, “and held his 
head in my arms. His clothes were torn almost off 
his back. When I spoke to him, he opened his 
eyes and muttered something about a black beast, 
and then fell back senseless.’’ 

The men accompanied the poor weeping 
woman to her miserable hut, and as they stepped 
within and beheld Methuson and sniffed the odor 
of the place, they knew that the Hus was the beast 
that had done the deed. 

Egkartes stooped and listened over the uncon- 
scious man’s heart for some sign of life. In a few 
moments he rose to his feet, and turning to the 
wife, exclaimed: “Your husband is not dead!’’ 

Sure enough the unfortunate fellow sat up. His 
eyes were red and inflamed, his temper was like- 
wise fiery, for he broke into loud curses. But in 
a little while he recovered his reason and thanked 
his deliverers. Methuson begged to be allowed 
to accompany the band of Hus-hunters, and they 
readily gave their consent. 

Toward evening of the next day, as they near- 
ed the City, they heard more news of the monster, 
who had been doing terrible damage to the people 
of the suburbs. Late that evening seven weary 


84 


The Black Hu* 

men crawled into beds in a very humble lodging- 
house. 

As Egkartes felt himself slipping into a com- 
fortable sleep, he was startled by the cry of a 
woman. He ran out to the house across the street, 
whence came the cry, and entered without knock- 
ing. 

He found a mother holding her baby high up, 
while the awful Hus kept snapping at the child. A 
dozen men were in the room, sleeping off a de- 
bauch. Egkartes sprang at the monster, who 
seemed to recognize him, but without showing any 
fear, turned and cooly walked out of the house. It 
wounded the pride of the young champion to see 
the enemy treat him so indifferently. He returned 
to his men feeling disheartened. He could see no 
way of killing the monster. What could he do ? 

After many weeks of failure, Egkartes wan- 
dered to the king’s garden and sat down near the 
entrance, where he found many other Greek 
youths who, like himself, aspired to the hand of 
the princess. They all knew that it was her daily 
custom to walk in the garden at sunset, and they 
were waiting to see her. 

When the princess appeared, the young men 


85 


The Black Hus 


stood up and humbly saluted her — all but Egkar- 
tes, who remained sitting. 

She approached the gate, and looking earnest- 
ly into all the faces of the young men, paused 
for a moment, and threw down a rose. Then there 
was a wild scramble among the rival youths for 
possession of the flower, only a poor remnant 
of which finally remained in the hands of the 
strongest. 

Meanwhile the princess was wondering about 
the handsome boy who took no part in the strug- 
gle, and presently she summoned Egkartes to her 
side. The youth rose, scarcely believing his sen- 
ses, and bowing very low, approached the object 
of his despairing affection. 

“Who are you, sir?” the princess asked, “and 
why have you not taken part in the contest for the 
flower?” 

“I am your most humble servant, Egkartes, 
and I beg your pardon if I have displeased you by 
not joining in that mad rush for the flower. I 
must save my strength for a more serious contest.” 

“But,” replied the princess, “I judge by your 
conduct that you are unwilling to please me.” 

For a moment the boy trembled on the brink 
of confessing his love, but just as the words were 


86 


The Black Hus 


forming on his lips, the princess motioned him 
away. The boy was broken-hearted, for he was 
too blind to see that the princess had really singled 
him out because he had not entered into the con- 
test, and had shown himself different from the 
common run of love-sick youths. 

Scarcely had Egkartes turned away when the 
Hus came running toward the princess. She was 
almost paralyzed with fear. 

But who could describe the panic that seized 
the foolish mob of young men who had fought so 
valiantly for the rose? At sight of the Hus, they 
fled in all directions. Egkartes alone remained 
to defend the princess. When he saw his foe, he 
shouted with joy and rushed at the monster with 
drawn sword. 

The beast recognized his adversary, and, open- 
ing his great jaws, charged upon him. When the 
combatants met, the boy’s sword entered the pig’s 
mouth. As he withdrew his weapon, Egkartes; 
fell, and the pig, leaping over him, disappeared. 
Regaining his feet, the youth gave pursuit, brand- 
ishing his bloody sword. 

The princess saw the whole encounter, and as 
she ran to the palace, her thoughts were divided 
between the peril from which she had escaped and 


87 


The Black Hus 


the wonderful valor of her young preserver. She 
was afraid to tell her father of what had happened, 
lest he should deprive her of her free hour, but all 
that night she lay awake dreaming of her hero and 
praying that she might meet him again. 

Three days later the city rejoiced over the news 
that a conjuror had destroyed the Hus. The fel- 
low was brought to the king to explain about it. 
He said he had destroyed the monster by means 
of a charm. When asked to produce the head of 
the pig, he said that as soon as the creature died 
he vanished into smoke. The man’s story was so 
plausible that the king believed him, and ordered 
a great feast in his honor. 

Poor Egkartes heard the news with sorrow, 
and the princess, shutting herself up in her inner 
room, mourned bitterly. She did not wish to mar- 
ry the conjuror, for now she loved the brave Eg- 
kartes. 

On the day of the feast the whole city was gay 
and the people ate and drank in excess. Even Eg- 
kartes’s men joined in the merrymaking; but the 
young hero himself sulked in a dismal cellar. 

It was fortunate for the boy that he had not 
joined with the masses in their dissipation, for the 


88 


The Black Hus 


Hus, knowing that they could not resist, came into 
the city and bit thousands of the people. 

When he heard the cry of the Hus in the streets, 
Egkartes emerged from the cellar, eager for 
another combat. 

People were scurrying for safety. None but 
the boy was armed. Hither and thither ran the 
black brute biting as many as he could. 

As Egkartes rushed at the beast, that knowing 
warrier recognized the young Greek again and 
charged him furiously, first springing at his throat. 

The boy stood his ground, and thrusting his 
sword, as in their previous fight, into the Hus’s 
mouth, drove so hard that the weapon sank deep 
into the stomach of the brute. 

The Hus fell headlong, roaring loudly. Strug- 
gling to his feet, he stood for a few moments, sway- 
ing from side to side, while the blood flowed freely 
from his mouth. The boy, without knowing it, had 
struck the pig’s only vulnerable spot, the mouth. 
After a moment the great Hus turned and fled, 
roaring like thunder. Though no one saw him 
die, it seemed evident that he was mortally wound- 
ed. 

Of course Egkartes became the hero of the 
hour. He was carried by six strong men to the 


89 


The Black Hus 


palace of the king, who was feasting in his hall, 
not knowing of the brave deed that the boy had 
done. So when he heard the people shouting at 
his gate, the king came to the palace steps 
and called to the multitude who had followed 
Egkartes : 

‘ ‘Why have you come here with all this noise ? ’ ’ 
demanded his Majesty. Have I not given you a 
holiday and the freedom of the city? Why cannot 
you caper in your own streets and lanes? Have 1 
no rights as king? Go to your homes or I shall call 
my soldiers to drive you there. Begone, I say, 
begone!’* 

“May it please your Majesty,” said one of the 
people, “we have brought the hero who has just 
slain the Black Hus!” 

“But,” protested the angry king, “have I not 
at this very moment the Black Hus hero at my 
table feasting with my nobles? By magic he slew 
the monster but yesterday!” 

But the people shouted, “Away with the 
magicman — away with the imposter!” 

The king was much perplexed, but wishing to 
learn the truth, he commanded silence while he lis- 
tened to the story of Egkartes and his victorious 
encounter with the Hus. When he learned the 


90 


The Black Hus 


truth then the king ordered the lying conjuror to 
be hanged, and immediately the poor imposter, 
protesting and struggling in vain, was dragged 
from the dining hall and hanged in the garden. 

Two weeks after this Egkartes was taken to 
the palace, with a great flourish of trumpets, and 
was proclaimed the hero of the country. He knew 
that he had not killed the pig as they had told the 
king; but neither king nor people paid any atten- 
tion to his explanations. All insisted that he had 
killed the monster and had a right to the great 
reward. 

The princess of course was delighted, and said 
to Egkartes: “I do not care whether you have 
killed the monster or not. 1 shall have you and 
we shall live very happily together.” 

The boy yielded to her persuasion, and a week 
later they sat together at a royal banquet in honor 
of their coming marriage. The company was jubi- 
lant with praise and marrymaking. The king, the 
queen, the royal ladies and brave knights drank 
deep and long of the red wine of the hills. 

The hero was happiest of all until he began to 
see knight after knight flushed and boisterous 
from much eating and drinking. Then his 
thoughts flitted back to the dinner at his father’s 


91 


The Black Hus 


home, and to the first appearance of the Hus. He 
could not shake off the feeling that the Hus would 
appear again, for the beast always appeared when 
men began to grow foolish through drink. 

It was not long before the king noticed that the 
boy was not laughing and drinking with the rest. 
“Art thou sick, Egkartes?” he asked. 

“I am not sick, most noble Sire,“ replied the 
youth. “Be it known, O, King, that I have re- 
frained from drinking tonight because I want to 
be ready for the Hus, which is sure to come wher- 
ever there is such overindulgence. “ 

Before he could proceed further, the knights 
broke into furious curses. “Away with the im- 
poster! Away with him! Ha! Ha!“ 

The king commanded silence as he stood up 
dizzy with wine. Red-faced and boiling with 
anger he looked at the youth and said: 

“Fetch in the guards and take this fellow to 
the guard house, and presently we will have a 
hanging in the reception hall! Bah! Thou too 
hast thought to seize my daughter’s hand by trick- 
ery! Well, thou shalt hang!” 

The king sat down and the guards seized the 
boy by the back of the neck and dragged him 
away, amid the laughter and jeers of the company. 


92 


The Black Hut 


The boisterous merriment continued until the 
princess stood up and motioned for silence. Then 
she said: 

“Most noble father, I now speak in behalf of 
all the women of Greece. The men of Greece 
have for years treated women as slaves, creatures 
of their wills. You, my father, without my con- 
sent offered my hand to any who should prove vic- 
tor over the Hus. You have already seen what has 
happened. An imposter came first and fright- 
ened me nearly to death! You did not care so long 
as you could keep your foolish word. Now comes 
a youth who thrice has repelled the Hus, and be- 
cause he has the courage to tell you the truth, you 
order him hanged without mercy or any thought 
of me. Henceforth I shall do my own choosing 
when it comes to mating! If you hang Egkartes 
then you will find my dead body in the morning by 
the side of his ! Why have you condemned him in 
whom is our only hope of safety? If the Hus 
should come tonight — ?“ 

“What do you say, Miss Impudence? I’ll see 
whether your prophecy will come true. Let every 
gate be barred! Fasten every door with a double 
lock! Let the royal guards stand in every hallway! 
And you, ungrateful maiden, dance before this 

93 


i 


The Black Hus 


company. By the gods! We’ll see whether the 
Hus is greater than the king!” 

The king sat down heavily, and the princess 
obediently arose to dance before a drunken assem- 
bly. 

Scarcely had she stood upon the floor than in 
rushed the Hus. Neither walls, nor doors nor 
swords had been able to keep him out. 

The queen was first to try to leave the room, 
but the Hus flung himself upon her and buried his 
teeth in her shoulder. The king attempted to 
draw his sword, but the beast sprang upon him 
before he could even touch the hilt, seized him 
round the middle and shook him till he seemed like 
to fall apart. The once brave knights lay where 
they were and called loudly for the guards. 

Amid the confusion the princess ran to the 
guard room where her lover lay bound. When the 
terrified guards heard that the Hus was in the 
palace, they were only too glad to release their 
prisoner. 

Egkartes was not surprised to hear of the re- 
turn of the Hus. He gladly dashed to the banquet- 
ing hall. When he appeared before him the Hus 
dropped his latest victim and squealed with rage. 
Well did the beast remember his many wounds 


94 


The Black Hus 


received at the hands of Egkartes. As if to take 
revenge, he bounded toward the boy, who aiming 
his sword again at the beast’s mouth, drove the 
weapon home, running it well down the throat. 
With a roar of rage the Hus sprang back, dashed 
for the nearest window, jumped to the earth, and 
disappeared into the dark night, still roaring furi- 
ously. 

In a moment the knights were on their feet. 
Now that there was no danger they were eager to 
defend the king and queen; but his Majesty, 
ordering the knights out of the palace, embraced 
the hero, exclaiming: “Thou shalt indeed be my 
son.’’ 

So the royal marriage was consummated and 
the princess became the wife of the noble Egkartes. 

The first act of the prince was to banish all 
drink from the kingdom, for, as he told the people, 
the Hus could never be killed but would be help- 
less as long as they refused to befuddle their senses 
with wine. He received great honor and later 
ascended to the throne — and the kingdom pros- 
pered as long as it took heed to the words of 
Egkartes. 


95 


THE LEVIATHAN 


S ANY years ago, before New York was 
settled, a poor old crocodile left her na- 
tive Egyptain shores and swam to the 
mouth of the Hudson River. Up the 
river bank she crawled, till she found a home. 
Here she laid ten eggs and hid them in the hot 
sand. 

Soon ten wee long- jaws came out and crept 
about in the sun. Mother crocodile fed her off- 
spring with small birds, that she caught by lying 
in the river with her mouth wide open. The birds, 
seeing only the upper part of the great jaws, were 
easily fooled into mistaking them for an old tree 
trunk. Sometimes as many as fifty of them flew 
down to rest and gossip on the crocodile’s teeth 
and cold tongue. Suddenly, when the clatter was 
loudest, the huge jaws came together with a 
mighty snap, crushing every little warbler. Then 
the cunning old mother fed her children with sweet 
titbits. 

In the course of five years one of the young 


96 


The Leviathan 


brood had grown to a monstrous size, and his ugly 
temper made him the terror of all the others. One 
day, in a fit of anger, he bit his two sisters so 
badly that they died. Then the savage reptile 
disappeared and stayed away, none of the family 
knew where, for fifteen years. 

At the end of that time, he returned to find 
his mother dying, with her seven good sons about 
her, weeping bitter tears. But not a sign of pity 
did the returned wanderer show for his dying 
mother and her sorrowing children. 

He was now a monster more than a hundred 
feet in length, and it was no wonder that when 
the brothers — pygmies in comparison with him — 
saw him coming toward them they fled in terror 
to the river, leaving their helpless mother at the 
mercy of her wicked son. Toward evening the 
brothers crept to the bank to see what was going 
on and the furious giant, who was lying in wait 
for them caught five of the little fellows and killed 
them as if in mere love of slaughter. The two 
others saved their lives by hiding till dark, when 
they fled to a place of safety down the river. 

Not content with killing his brothers, the 
fiendish destroyer turned upon his mother, telling 
her that he had come back to avenge the insults 


97 


The Leviathan 


heaped upon him when he was a little fellow; then 
with a vicious snap he bit off her tail, and she died 
at sundown. 

“What a terrible brother!” thought the two 
escaping crocodiles as they made their way farther 
from the scene of danger. But the truth of the 
whole matter was that the monstrous fellow was 
not really their brother at all! He was the great 
Leviathan from Asia. You see, after the old 
crocodile had laid her ten eggs in the hot sun to 
hatch, Mendacia, the mother of lies and injustice, 
exchanged a Leviathan egg for one of the crocodile 
eggs. So when the eggs were hatched, Mrs. Croco- 
dile, without knowing it, had a stranger among 
her own children. 

Mendacia was jealous of the new nation across 
the waters, and had secretly followed the old 
crocodile, hoping to destroy the young republic 
through her terrible Leviathan. This monster was 
related to all the Leviathans that did so much dam- 
age to the children of Israel in the days of Moses. 
These beasts had always been murderers and man- 
eaters and Mendacia was the evil spirit that 
prompted all the wicked deeds. 

So here she was in the land of America with 
her cruel monster fully grown and ready to begin 


98 


The Leviathan 


work. Fifteen years ago, when her pet had com- 
mitted murder, she it was who carried him away 
to shield him from just punishment. She was with 
him when he killed his mother, and Mendacia and 
her slave Brutus applauded him for that crime of 
unspeakable shame. After committing this ter- 
rible deed, Leviathan lay down and slept for a 
month. 

Meanwhile Brutus built a beautiful house on 
Leviathan’s back, and Mendacia richly furnished 
it. When the sleeper awoke, slowly he opened 
his dull eyes and blinked. Then, more slowly, he 
opened his forty-foot mouth and shook his forty- 
foot tail. As yet he was unconscious of the house 
upon his back but when he rose to his short legs 
and shook himself, he realized that he was holding 
up something besides his own weight. 

Finding that he could not shake off his strange 
burden, the beast made for the river and attempted 
to sink, but could not do that, for the house kept 
him afloat. He tried to roll over, to turn a somer- 
sault, but all in vain. At last, exhausted, he lay 
in the river as if dead. 

It was then that Mendacia spake words of re- 
proof to her beast. “Leviathan! You poor foolish 
fellow ! Why do you make such a fuss over a thing 


99 


The Leviathan 


that you cannot change? If you disturb my house 
any more I’ll be compelled to drive a nail through 
your back into your heart. But if you obey me, 
all will be well and I’ll be your best friend. I’ll 
help you obtain your food, and I promise that one 
human being a day will be furnished for your 
evening meal. Come, will you agree to do as I say, 
or not?” 

The Leviathan thought for a long time and 
ended in blinking his lazy consent. 

Now, on the bank of the river lived a boy and 
a girl. The boy’s name was Lex and the girl’s was 
Veritas. Both were seventeen years old. 

One hot July day Lex took his friend for a little 
row up the Hudson. They had not gone far before 
they spied a peculiar craft coming toward them. 
Lex ceased rowing and the two gazed with wonder 
at the strange sight. On came the wonderful 
house, like a floating palace upon a brown island. 

It was the Leviathan, of course. As it ap- 
proached them, a beautiful woman gracefully 
walked toward the snout of the Leviathan, fol- 
lowed by her slave, and both sat down on the 
humps that formed the monster’s eyebrows. From 
these commanding positions they held curtains 
over the creature’s eyes, lest he should become too 


100 


The Leviathan 


restive, and frighten away his prey. The beast 
had not eaten a human morsel for many days and 
he was very hungry. Nearer and nearer came 
the boy and the girl to the threatened destruction. 
But Mendacia, whose eyes were fastened upon the 
boy, suddenly thought of a new way to vary her 
life of plotting and murder. How amusing it 
would be to drag the children aboard and play 
with them a little before taking their lives! It 
would be such fun to hear them crying and begging 
for the mercy that would never be granted. So 
she guided the Leviathan by gently tapping him 
with her heel till the children’s boat touched his 
side, and then, quicker than can be told, she and 
Brutus dragged the surprised youngsters aboard. 

When the monster knew what the woman was 
doing, and found that his anticipated dinner had 
been lifted upon his back, his barking sounded like 
thunder-claps and his great thrashing tail lashed 
the water into foam. But the woman told her 
captives that they were on an island and that the 
noises were made by machinery. 

She ordered a sumptuous luncheon and while 
the children ate with great delight, she watched 
them. Finally she determined to serve Veritas to 
the hungry monster and keep Lex. Why not keep 


101 


The Leviathan 


him and make a slave of him? With this in view 
she gave the boy a powerful drink which made 
him entirely subject to her will while he was under 
its influence. He entirely forgot poor Veritas. 

When Veritas saw what influence the woman 
had gained over Lex she was much disturbed. 

As soon as she found an opportunity to speak 
to her friend, the girl said: “Oh, Lex, do not go 
near that woman, who is as ugly as she can be!” 

Yes, she was ugly to all who did not like her, 
but to Lex she seemed very beautiful, and he was 
angry with Veritas for making such a remark. But 
before he could reply they heard Mendacia talking 
to her beast. “Be quiet for a little while,” she said, 
“your supper will soon be served.” What did it all 
mean? The crashing of the great jaws and the 
roaring of the ravenous beast made a hideous din. 

The children now knew that they were on the 
hack of some sea monster, and the thought made 
both shudder; even Lex began to see the woman 
as she was, though the charm had not entirely lost 
its effect. 

But he had not long to wait before learning her 
real character. As soon as she had convinced the 
monster that he would be fed, he quieted down, 
and Mendacia walked with dignity toward the 
•children. 


102 


The Leviathan 


Before she reached them, her slave appeared 
and delivered a message to his mistress. 

“Most gracious queen,” he said, bowing very 
low, “there is a man swimming at a little distance. 
What shall we do?” 

Mendacia hesitated; but reflecting that the 
magic potion she had given Lex would make every- 
thing she did look right to him, she decided to se- 
cure the bather for the Leviathan’s meal. She did 
not care for Veritas’s opinion — in fact she was glad 
of an opportunity to frighten her. 

So she directed the beast toward the bather. 
Being naked, the man modestly crouched as far 
beneath the water as possible, and in amazement 
he watched the craft gliding nearer and nearer. 

When they were almost upon the poor fellow, 
Veritas screamed. The man turned to flee, but 
hesitated because he had no clothes, and only 
sank deeper in the dark waters, while Mendacia 
called to him with a gentle voice and an inviting 
motion of her arm. 

It did not take long for something to happen. 
Hie hungry monster was overeager and snatched 
for his prey too soon. With a wild yell, the man 
sprang to his feet and plunged for the bank, the 
Leviathan following him rapidly: 


103 


The Leviathan 


The children, speechless with fright, watched 
the frantic efforts of the man striving to escape his 
pursuer. With a sigh of relief they saw him, not 
more than a few feet beyond the beast’s snout, 
reach the bank and stagger for safety. The mon- 
ster climbed the bank after him with his burden 
swaying on his back like a captive balloon. But 
the man reached a small cave, into which he flung 
himself with all the strength that he had left. 

All this happened so quickly that the children 
did not comprehend it; they leaned weakly against 
the side of the house, scarcely realizing that they 
were on the beast’s back. 

By this time Lex had fully recovered from the 
spell. Suddenly he turned upon Mendacia with a 
scathing rebuke, calling her an ugly hag and a ter- 
rible monster. 

Mendacia was terribly enraged again, sharp 
lines of anger furrowed her face. Fearing for his 
companion, Lex caught her arm and they turned 
and fled into the house. The woman quickly 
followed, and with the help of the serving man 
thrust them into a dark room, with a warning that 
if they did not obey her their end was near. 

Though much frightened, the prisoners barri- 


104 


The Leviathan 

caded the door as best they could, and tried to plan 
a way of escape. 

They thought of several schemes but dismissed 
them as not being likely to succeed. At last Lex 
whispered: 

“Oh! Veritas, I know what I shall do!” and 
he drew out his pocket knife. “I’ll dig through 
this floor to the beast’s hide and scoop a few hand- 
fuls of leather from his hide, till he shakes the 
house off his back!” 

At once the boy proceeded to put his words 
into action. It was not easy as it seemed, for the 
wood of the floor was hard and the knife not very 
sharp. But soon Lex found a small crack and set 
to work to whittle his way through. For hours 
he worked. His hands became so sore that he 
had to rest every few minutes and Veritas took 
turns at whittling till Lex refused to let her work 
any longer. 

At last the boy succeeded in making a hole 
through which he could easily approach the back 
of the monster. It was then midnight, and all was 
ready for the last act; but now Lex was too tired to 
do more. Both he and Veritas were so weary that 
they fell into deep slumber. 

Just before the sun rose, the slave sprang out 


105 


The Leviathan 


of bed to begin preparations for breakfast. He 
crept into his mistress’s room and found that she 
was asleep. Then he thought that he would take 
a look at the children. He took a candle, carefully 
unlocked the door of their prison, opened it a little 
way and peered in. 

As he looked more closely he saw the knife 
still clutched in the boy’s hand, and the hole that 
the knife had made. At once he knew what the 
young prisoners had been trying to do, and he be- 
gan to lock the door, so as to keep them confined 
till he could give the alarm. But all at once, Lex 
awoke, and gazed into the other’s eyes. In a 
moment the serving man burst into the room and 
sprang like a wild cat upon the boy, who scrambled 
to his feet and with his knife stabbed the man in 
the neck. At this Brutus let go his hold and fled 
screaming from the room. 

Of course the struggle awoke Veritas and she 
slammed the door to and held herself against it, 
determined to prevent anyone from entering the 
room. The boy resumed his efforts to cut through 
the thick hide of the Leviathan. 

Mendacia was awakened by her man stagger- 
ing into her room, bleeding from a great gash in his 
neck. In a few words he told what had happened. 


106 


The Levi&thui 


Mendacia rushed to the prison-room and tried to 
enter but the door was held fast. She threw her- 
self against it again and again. 

The monster began to sway back and forth, 
and then to thrash the water as the boy dug deeper 
and deeper into his vitals. Finally the huge crea- 
ture rose clear off the water, shaking himself 
violently and wrecking the house completely. 
Suddenly, maddened by the pain of his terrible 
wound, he made for the bank and from there 
scrambled toward the woods carrying what was 
left of his burden with him. Trees were broken 
down by his rush as he tore on in his mad dash 
for freedom. At last he struck an old oak tree 
and the fastenings of the house gave way, but still 
the monster ran on. 

All that night a party of the neighbors had 
ridden with the distracted fathers of the children 
looking vainly for their dear ones. Toward morn- 
ing they heard a terrible noise, and rode with haste 
to the spot from which it came, and there they 
found the children lying unconscious by an old 
deserted house. 

They brought their lost ones home, all rejoic- 
ing. When the children told their story, the people 
of the village refused to believe them, for they 


107 


The Leviathan 


had not seen the beast nor his mistress. It was 
not until the swimmer who had so narrowly 
escaped appeared and confirmed their report of 
the Leviathan, that the people credited the story. 

The children continued their friendship, and in 
due time they were married and had children of 
their own, to whom in after years they often told 
the tale of the Leviathan. 


108 


THE BROWN FRIAR 


a LONG time ago, where Milwaukee now 
stands, on the shore of Lake Michigan, 
stood a great forest. The first settlers 
were afraid of it, for many strange 
animals were said to inhabit the place. Wolves 
howled dismally every evening at the setting of 
the sun. Some said that the woods were fre- 
quented by goblins. 

One evening a peddler appeared in the little 
colony. He was given a good dinner and was 
much pleased when he was invited to stay all night 
at the home of Charles and Betty Townsend. 

It was quite an event in the lives of the children 
to have a stranger present. They were all curiosity 
when the evening meal was over and begged him 
to tell them about himself. 

“Very well,“ said the jolly merchant tramp, 
“1 shall tell you a story that occurred in these very 
woods.” 

“Oh! Oh!“ cried the children. The man 
blew his nose in a red handkerchief and continued 
his yarn. 


109 


The Brown Friar 


“Ten years ago I was making my way home in 
a canoe from Canada. I came by way of Sault 
Sainte Marie and then along the banks of this lake. 
1 had been to the Canadian side with my goods, 
had sold much to the Indians and made money, and 
1 was coming home with a bag of money in my 
light canoe, and a merry heart. One evening 1 
took my gun and strolled a short way inland to 
shoot a few wild fowl for my supper. I soon suc- 
ceeded in shooting a pair of partridge — for the 
woods abounded at that time with much game — 
and was about to return, when I met, face to face, 
a curious bird, which resembled a common crow* 
except that it was white and with a black topknot. 
1 raised my gun to shoot so that I might have a bet- 
ter chance of looking at it, but it flew upon a 
neighboring branch, and — will you believe me? — 
it began to talk! 

“ ‘Son of a tramp!’ it began, ‘thou wasteful 
peddler, wouldst thou shoot an innocent bird to 
suit thy idle curiosity? Shame! shame!’ 

“The creature stretched its beak and laughed 
in my face, nodding its topknot in mock defiance. 

“1 stood motionless in sheer fright, but when 
the bird jeered at me again, I seized my gun, say- 
ing: ‘Balaam’s ass! I shall teach you respect for 


110 


The Brown Friar 


your superiors! Dare you, that perch every night 
upon the stump of a tree, address a decent son of 
Adam in terms of scorn? I shall fill you with 
shot, pluck your feathers out, tear your tongue 
from your head, and throw you to the wolverines.’ 

“I raised my gun to fire, when the monster bird 
spoke again. 

“ ‘Shoot, if thou darest, fool! I have beaten 
thee in thine argument. Because thou art big as a 
moose, strong as Goliath, thou thinkest to put an 
end to my arguments by destroying my mortal 
body! Thou art no man; thou art a coward, as all 
argumentative humans are! Go home and learn 
thy A-B-C’s! Teach thy grandmother! Tell her 
that a pee- wee crow has beaten thee in a debate!’ 

“ ‘Well, of all things!’ thought I, lowering my 
gun, and eyeing the impudent thing. ‘Who are 
you?’ I asked. ‘Speak! If not, I shall scatter your 
brains to the four winds.’ 

“But the bird merely grinned, turning his head 
from side to side, tauntingly. 

“ ‘Bang!’ I fired, and the report was terrific. 
For a while I could not see anything on account of 
the smoke, but, when the smoke had cleared away, 
I saw beneath the place where the insolent bird had 
been, a monk. He was holding the bleeding bird 


111 


The Brown Friar 


in his arms. Where had he come from? I began 
to have cold chills down my back, and worse, re- 
morse crept into my soul. I turned to flee, but 
my boots stuck fast to the earth. 

“The monk spoke bluntly, but also very ten- 
derly. ‘Sir,* he said, ‘thou has wronged thyself! 
Thinkest thou this poor bird, whose only fault was 
to be in thy angry, inhuman path, has died for 
naught? No, my son. Thou hast shot the King 
of Crows, and every drop of his blood, and every 
feather also, must be sacredly gathered by thee 
and brought to me before twelve hours have 
passed away.’ 

“He held to my view the bleeding bird. 

“ ‘But,’ protested I, ‘how can I gather blood 
that has already disappeared into the soil? Can 
his feathers be gathered — from where? I do not 
know.’ 

‘ ‘The monk shook his head sadly. ‘Son, it must 
be done — it must be done!’ 

“In a moment he was gone. I turned to run 
away, but I could not move my feet. ‘Then 
thought I, ‘it is indeed true.’ 

“That night the shadows themselves became 
moving crows, and every noise appeared to be the 
voice of the dead bird. I shook with fear. The 


112 


The Brown Friar 


woods grew black as ink. The fireflies floated 
about, and all nature laughed at me. 

“Suddenly I heard the deep baying of wolves. 
I seized my gun and stood up. Nearer and nearer 
they came. 

“ ‘Oh! I exclaimed, ‘am 1 to perish by their 
teeth f 

“Soon I could see the gleam of yellow-red eyes 
glaring at me in the darkness. I aimed at the first 
one that came near me, and fired. There was a 
wild cry, and then the cracking of bones, for the 
others at once fell to devouring the wolf 1 had shot. 
Breathlessly I reloaded my double-barreled gun. 
In less time than I can tell it, the dead wolf was 
gone! Then there was a rush for me. 1 fired again, 
with the same result. Half an hour passed, and 
my ammunition gave out. Seizing the muzzle of 
my gun, I determined to fight to the end. When 
the wolves leaped at me, I sprang back: my feet 
were free. With the butt end of the gun, I beat 
them off, running backward all the time. Sud- 
denly my back struck against a tree, and in a 
moment I sprang for it. A wolf seized me by the 
leg. My trousers ripped, but I scrambled up the 
tree!” 

“Oh!” exclaimed Charlie, “what about the 
monk and the crow?’* 

113 


The Brown Friar 


“I knew,” answered the peddler, ‘‘that some- 
one would ask that question. Well, to be brief, 1 
sat on a limb all night — on the very limb on which 
the crow had been sitting. The wolves all the 
while were prowling about, and sniffing in the 
air, to make sure I was there. Not a bit of sleep 
did I get that night, and when the morning came, 
I was thankful, for one by one the wolves slunk 
off and I was left alone. When all was still again 
and things looked safe, my thoughts turned to the 
monk’s threat, so I got down off my perch, and 
crept upon my knees, searching for traces of the 
blood and feathers of the crow. I succeeded in 
obtaining five little feathers, and these I pocketed 
with great care. 1 gathered up twigs that had any 
stains of blood upon them, and stored them away 
also. Then I made search under the leaves and 
dirt for signs of spilt blood. The leaves I gathered 
up, and the ground I sifted for particles of the 
precious fluid. 

‘‘While I was thus engaged, I heard a voice and 
looked up. It was the voice of the monk, saying, 
‘Hast thou accomplished all thy task?’ 

‘‘I trembled and made no reply. 

‘“Thou hast tried, 1 see, but hast not suc- 
ceeded in gathering all. But give me what thou 
hast!’ he said. 


114 


The Brown Friar 


“I heaped upon the ground all that I had 
gathered, just as if it had been precious gold. 

“ ‘There are still five drops of blood and one 
feather missing,’ said the monk slowly, and a tear 
ran down his cheek. 

“ ‘Oh, monk,’ I cried, ‘help me; I shall find 
them for you I’ 

“ ‘No, no, my son; I shall give some of my 
own.* 

“To my great astonishment, he cut his arm and 
let five tiny little drops of blood trickle down upon 
the pile of earth. Then he lifted his hand to his 
head, as if to extract a hair. Recognizing what 
he was about to do, I pulled a bunch of hair out of 
my own head, and threw it down. The monk 
smiled. Putting his hand beneath his cape, he drew 
out the white crow. He placed the crow upon the 
pile and clapped his hands. In a second, the crow 
— yes, the same old crow — hopped up and sat on 
the monk’s shoulder. Children, 1 was so pleased 
to see that crow, that I cried and begged to be 
allowed to go with the monk, but he waved me off 
and walked away.’* 

“Oh, peddler,’’ exclaimed Betty. “Did that 
really happen in these woods?” 

The peddler nodded. “Yes, children, it really 


115 


The Brown Friar 


happened, and the experience changed my whole 
life. It is very strange, but whenever I tell this 
story, someone soon afterward learns for himself 
that it was true.** 

The children opened their eyes in astonish- 
ment. But their father laughed at them, and 
mamma said it was time to go to bed. Very re- 
luctently did the youngsters rise and scamper off 
to rest. The peddler also went to bed. 

When the peddler had gone, Charles and Betty 
thought a great deal about what he had told them. 
It was Charles who suggested: “Betty, let us go 
and search for the monk?" 

"Oh, Oh!" exclaimed Betty, opening wide her 
large blue eyes. "Do you really mean it? But 
suppose the monk should see us?" 

"Well, and if he did? We have not shot his 
birds." 

So Betty stared open-eyed while Charlie out- 
lined his plans. They were to steal away that 
afternoon, taking with them their favorite dog, 
Don. 

As soon as dinner was over, Charlie and Betty, 
attended by Don, struck off into the woods with 
light hearts. They took the old, familiar path, over 
which they had many a time before played hide 


1 16 


The Brown Friar 


and seek. However, it soon vanished into a new 
and unknown winding trail. They were delighted 
to find a road so easily traveled in the heart of the 
wood. Though they did not know it, the path was 
really a deer’s runway. For at least two long 
hours the children wandered, whither they did not 
know. At times they would stand and shout, just 
to see the squirrels scramble and talk back at them, 
and even Don would stretch out his neck and howl 
in unison. Occasionally a wild bird scurried away. 
Don always gave pursuit. 

Suddenly Don cocked up his short ears and 
whined. The children looked and saw a few yards 
away a little vine-covered hut. 

“This is the monk’s home, I believe!’’ whis- 
pered Charlie. 

“Oh!’’ exclaimed Betty, clapping her hands; 
“isn’t it fun?’* 

Don, seeing Betty clap her hands, and behold- 
ing Charlie’s face so eagerly looking in the direc- 
tion of the hut, thought something strange was 
going on, and he lifted up his great head and 
barked. The woods rang with his voice, and 
Charlie silenced him. They could hear the clatter 
of geese and the quack-quack of ducks, but not a 
sign of a human being could be seen. 


117 


The Brown Friar 


“Let us go closer,” whispered Charlie, grow- 
ing bolder. Betty nodded, and slowly they crept, 
holding onto Don’s collar, until they entered a 
most beautiful yard. In the center was a large 
pond, filled with wild geese, ducks, and all sorts 
of fowl. Nothing seemed to be afraid. The 
house was one mass of trellis work, ivy green. The 
door was open and the children, growing still 
bolder, entered. They found a table spread with 
flowers and fruits and other things to eat. Don, 
without waiting for ceremony, sniffed at a piece 
of bacon, and promptly devoured it. He looked 
around at the children, licking his chops and grin- 
ning. They were also tempted to partake, but the 
stillness made them afraid. 

While they were looking at the pretty things 
within, they heard a step at the door. They turned 
and saw walking toward them a great turkey 
gobbler, almost as big as a man. 

“Gobble-gobble,” said the turkey. Don 
bristled up his hairs and growled. 

“Gobble-gobble,” again began the turkey. 
Charlie, summoning courage, spoke up : 

“Well, Mr. Turkey, we are not doing any 
harm, and we will go away, if you make room for 
us.” 


118 


The Brown Friar 

But the turkey only drew closer. “Gobble- 
gobble! — ” 

“Mr. Turkey/’ began Betty, feeling afraid, for 
he looked as if he were going to peck them, “we 
have come to see the monk.” 

The turkey shook his head from side to side, 
and again said, “Gobble-gobble.” There was no 
doubt about his intentions. He meant harm. His 
face was scarlet and there lurked an angry fire 
in his eyes. He filled the entrance completely. 
The gobbler’s face swelled bigger and became red- 
der. His long string nose shot out stiff and 
straight. He cleared his throat and yelled, 
“Gobble! Gobble! Gobble! OOOO!” It was the 
turkey’s challenge to fight. 

Charlie rushed forward to protect Betty, but 
the creature caught him with his great foot and 
hurled him back. Don sprang to the rescue, but 
almost at once fell back with a great howl and 
began to wipe his eyes with his paw. The children 
were grief-stricken when they saw that Don had 
lost an eye. They looked at the turkey and saw 
him in the act of swallowing it. He seemed well 
pleased, for he grinned and licked the sides of his 
mouth with his red tongue. Charlie rushed the 
second time at the gobbler and succeeded in catch- 


119 


The Brown Friar 


ing him by the neck. The bird gave a squawk and 
a desperate kick, then tumbled backward and lay 
as if dead. The boy fell exhausted on the hard 
floor. 

Betty ran to the door for help and was de- 
lighted to see a kindly old monk approaching. He 
stepped over the monster turkey and entered the 
hut. For a long time he stood and looked from 
girl to boy as if trying to fathom the whole affair. 
Betty could not find courage to say a word. 

“Well, well! my dear, this does look serious!” 
the monk said. 

“Please, Mr. Monk, do not be angry, we have 
had a terrible time.” 

“Yes,” spoke up Charlie, sitting up, “we did 
not mean to disturb your dwelling place. It was 
you we were seeking and the turkey attacked us.” 

“Oh!” exclaimed Betty, “are you the monk 
that met the peddler?” 

The monk nodded and Betty clapped her hands 
in delight. 

“But, dear monk,” she asked, “why don’t you 
chain that horrid gobbler?” 

“My dear girl, he is quite harmless, if you are 
not afraid of him. If you and Charlie had paid no 
attention to him, this afternoon, he would have 


120 


The Brown Friar 


/eft you alone. The old fellow thinks that he has 
the right to guard the place when I am away. If 
you are indifferent to his gobbles he believes then 
that you must belong to the family. No doubt he 
was afraid that you were going to steal something 
from the table.” 

“Oh!” exclaimed Charlie, ‘‘Don did take a 
piece of meat, but we could not prevent him.” 

‘‘Yes, my dears, and poor Don has suffered for 
it.” 

Suddenly the whole trouble became clear. 
They had been guilty of stealing as well as Don. 
They had desired to take something and had only 
been prevented by the appearance of the turkey. 
Now as they watched him strutting about the yard 
— for he had scrambled to his feet while they were 
talking — he did not look so fierce. And strange 
to say, they understood the meaning of “Gobble.” 
It was nothing more than, “Vanity and ignorance, 
tut and nonsense.” 

“Come with me,” said the good old monk, and 
he led the children to the top of the very high hill. 
Here he showed them all the great cities of the 
East through a large telescope. 

It was a very powerful glass for it could bring 
into view any place that the looker desired. They 


121 


The Brown Friar 


saw their own home. They saw New York and 
all the great cities. 

“Why are the people trampling on each 
other?” inquired Betty. 

“Gold, the love of gold. Yet it is not making 
them any happier. You can see that. Now take 
a look at that woman, Betty.” 

Betty looked and saw a simply dressed woman 
attending to her children. Her face beamed with 
pleasure. They looked at another woman, driv- 
ing in a carriage, all pampered and bedecked. She 
had pain written on her face. She was loaded 
down with jewels so that her fingers ached, and 
her general appearance was distressful. 

“Are all rich people unhappy?” asked Charlie. 

“No. Look at the woman I shall show you 
now. She is richer than the first one you saw.” 

They looked and saw a gentle-eyed woman 
busy carrying cheer into the poorer haunts of men. 
She was a very beautiful as well as a happy 
woman, 

“Life is not what we have, children, but what 
we are. Rich or poor, we can be happy if we do 
something for one another.” 

“Tell us how to be happy without money,” 
said the boy. 


122 


The Brown Friar 


The monk smiled. “There is but one way.” 

“What is it?” They eagerly asked. 

“Do the thing that is right whenever required, 
and do it immediately. For instance, restore the 
lost eye to Don.” 

“But!” they both protested, “how can we — for 
the gobbler swallowed it?” 

The monk lowered his voice: “Why not give 
one of your eyes to him?” 

“I will give my eye, dear Monk!” replied the 
boy. 

Poor Don stood opposite them, a sorry sight. 

“No! No! You will not!” cried Betty. “1 will 
give mine.” 

“It must be done by both!” whispered the 
monk. 

It was a dreadful minute. 

“Are you ready?” inquired the monk. Charlie 
nodded his head and the good man took out a sharp 
knife and quickly extracted one eye. The pain 
was hard to bear, but the boy never cried. Then 
the monk did the same thing to Betty. Both 
covered their faces and wept. 

Don nosed his way to Charlie and licked his 
hands. Charlie peered through his fingers and 
saw Don with two whole eyes. 


123 


The Brown Friar 


“Oh, Don!” he exclaimed, forgetting himself 
and hugging the old fellow, “I am so glad that you 
have two eyes again!” 

“Oh, Charlie! Charlie!” exclaimed Betty, “you 
have not lost an eye! Have I two eyes?” 

To their great amazement, the children found 
that they had not lost their eyes at all, but by the 
operation could see better than ever. 

“Yes,” explained the good monk, “do what is 
right when you see that it is to be done, and never 
think of the pain. Then you will always be 
happy.” 

Then he took the children by the hands and 
told them it was time to go home. They did not 
want to leave the kind Father, but he assured them 
that they could come again. Yes, they came often 
and brought others too. 

“I’m glad we weren’t afraid to give up our eyes 
for Don,” said Betty, as they were getting ready 
for bed that night. 

“So am I,” said Charlie. “And I'm going to 
remember this whenever I feel like being selfish 
again: That one doesn’t lose anything by trying 
to help another.” 


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